Afghanistan

Abdul Wahid Gulrani

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 16:37:56 +0000

Abdul Wahid Gulrani a2c8605a-8799-… Fri, 03/01/2024 - 11:37

Visiting Scholar, Carter School, 2024-2025

Contact Information

Biography

Abdul Wahid Gulrani, a former Lecturer at Herat University - Afghanistan, and currently serving as the Research and Innovation Vice-Chancellor of Afghanistan Roshan Online University, demonstrates a dedicated commitment to advancing knowledge in the realms of peace, conflict resolution, National security, Terrorism, Democracy, Human rights, and Political sociology.

As a dedicated Afghan scholar, Abdul Wahid Gulrani's academic pursuits center around critical domains and translate into substantive research contributions, delving into the intricate dynamics and nuanced aspects of these multifaceted subjects. Expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies showcase a comprehensive approach to investigating and understanding complex phenomena. This proficiency enables the application of a diverse set of analytical tools to extract meaningful insights from data, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplays within the realms of peace and conflict resolution, national security, terrorism, and human rights. In essence, Abdul Wahid Gulrani's academic journey and research endeavors are driven by a passion to unravel the complexities of global challenges, contribute substantively to scholarly discourses, and effect positive change in the world by fostering peace, understanding, and human rights.

For more than two years, Abdul Wahid Gulrani was actively involved as a member of the Peace Education Steering Committee, where responsibilities included teaching the subject of peace and conflict resolution in the faculties of Herat University Peace Studies Association ( HUPSA).

Abdul Wahid Gulrani has presented at conferences hosted by various universities, including Maryland University (USA), Georgetown University (USA), Bologna (Italy), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Tübingen (Germany), and Zurich (Switzerland).

Additionally, Abdul Wahid Gulrani brings experience from working in international organizations, such as UNDP, as well as local organizations, enriching the depth and breadth of his professional background.

Dr. Mansoor Ehsan joins the Carter School as Scholar in Residence

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 19:42:24 +0000

Dr. Mansoor Ehsan joins the Carter School as Scholar in Residence a2c8605a-8799-… Fri, 06/24/2022 - 15:42

In This Story

Mansoor Ehsan

In partnership with the GMU Afghan Scholars Program, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution welcomes Dr. Mansoor Ehsan. A political analyst and researcher, Dr. Ehsan joins the Carter School as Scholar in Residence for a year beginning this summer. Dr. Ehsan comes to the Carter School with a wealth of knowledge and experience on the topics of democracy, nationalism, and peace building.

Dr. Mansoor Ehsan is a seasoned political analyst who specializes in Afghanistan and Central Asia studies. He has over nine years of research experience and numerous publications. Dr. Ehsan has published extensively in credible publications on the topics of democracy, nationalism, state-building, peace-building, political Islam, and human security. In his book "Democratization Process in Afghanistan: Islam, Tradition, and Modernity", he gave a comprehensive analysis of the democratization process in Afghanistan. In addition to his research and teaching expertise, Dr. Ehsan served from 2014 to 2016 as the Head of the Center for Law and Political Science at Karwan University in Kabul. He has also taught international affairs at Kabul University and the Center for Diplomacy and International Studies (DIS) at the University of Afghanistan. To add to his many accomplishments, he is a founding member of the Kabul-based think tank, the Afghanistan Association of Political Science and International Relations (AAPSIR).”

The George Mason University Afghan Scholars Program was designed to help scholars and researchers who recently left Afghanistan apply for an academic appointment as visiting scholars. The Carter School is grateful to Edward and Nancy Rice, whose generous gift made this appointment possible. To learn more about this program or to support this endeavor, please see the announcement of the Afghan Scholars Program.

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Carter School Visiting Scholars

Research

Mansoor Ehsan

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 16:13:35 +0000

Mansoor Ehsan a2c8605a-8799-… Fri, 06/24/2022 - 12:13

Scholar in Residence, 2023-2024

Biography

Dr. Mansoor Ehsan is a seasoned political analyst who specializes in Afghanistan and Central Asia studies. He has over nine years of research experience and numerous publications. Dr. Ehsan has published extensively in credible publications on the topics of democracy, nationalism, state-building, peace-building, political Islam, and human security. In his book "Democratization Process in Afghanistan: Islam, Tradition, and Modernity", he gave a comprehensive analysis of the democratization process in Afghanistan. In addition to his research and teaching expertise, Dr. Ehsan served from 2014 to 2016 as the Head of the Center for Law and Political Science at Karwan University. He has also taught international affairs at Kabul University and the Center for Diplomacy and International Studies (DIS) at the University of Afghanistan. To add to his many accomplishments, he is a founding member of the Kabul-based think tank, the Afghanistan Association of Political Science and International Relations (AAPSIR).”

Dr. Ehsan joined the Carter School as Scholar in Residence in 2022 as part of George Mason University's Afghan Scholars Program.

New program welcomes Afghan scholars to Mason

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 19:21:53 +0000

New program welcomes Afghan scholars to Mason Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 02/04/2022 - 14:21

In This Story

Alpaslan Özerdem

George Mason University's Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University

To support Afghan refugees needing to relaunch their careers in the United States, George Mason University is inviting scholars and researchers who have recently left Afghanistan to apply for an academic appointment as visiting scholars.

“At Mason, we care about what happens in our societies whether here in Virginia, regionally, nationally or globally,” said Alpaslan Özerdem, dean of Mason’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

“As the Carter School, we wanted to respond to the crisis in a way that we’d address a critical cluster of challenges effectively, through our own resources and capacities as an academic institution,” he said. “It was almost a natural reaction for us to think about ways of helping.”

“The Office of the Provost is committed to help our deans and respective academic units welcome Afghan professors and researchers to our institution and have a potential impact on their safety and scholarly work”, said Laurence Bray, associate provost for graduate education.

The program is open to Afghans who have legal residence in the United States or are in the process of obtaining a U.S. Visa. Selected scholars selected will receive financial and institutional support from Mason for a year, with a possible option for renewal.

“As visiting scholars, they’d be able to integrate themselves in both ongoing and prospective research initiatives, leading to opportunities for the renewal of their Mason affiliation,” Özerdem said. “More importantly, with their wealth of experience in post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding, as well as their specific areas of disciplinary expertise, Afghan scholars and researchers have so much to contribute to U.S. higher education [and to Mason].”

The scholars will be evaluated on criteria including their credentials, ability to travel to the United States, professional experience, and a field of study that aligns with a participating Mason school or college.

The program speaks to Mason’s mission.

“We value not only diversity and access, but also fraternity and solidarity in responding to socio-economic and political challenges,” Özerdem said. “It was great that this idea by the Carter School was integrated into the university’s plans for responding to higher education needs of Afghan refugees, and it is wonderful that the program is already up and running.”

The Afghan Scholars program also provides an opportunity for giving back, Özerdem said.

“There are many people in our communities who would like to help Afghan refugees, and by supporting this program, they’d have a direct contribution in helping those scholars rebuild their lives,” he said. “Historically, there have been many examples in which scholars who fled to the U.S. have generously contributed to the development of sciences and technology in this country, and now we have an opportunity to make it happen again.”

For more information and to apply to the Afghan Scholars Program, click here.

The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, in partnership with George Mason University, is committed to supporting at least one Afghan scholar. If you would like to support the program, please visit this link to make a gift: https://advancement.gmu.edu/22CAR1

Topics

Campus News

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

The Taliban as a long-term ‘government’ is unrealistic, Mason expert says. Here’s what needs to be done.

Mariam Aburdeineh — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 16:02:23 +0000

The Taliban as a long-term ‘government’ is unrealistic, Mason expert says. Here’s what needs to be done. Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 08/25/2021 - 12:02

In This Story

Charles Davidson

Charles Davidson. Photo provided.

The Taliban’s reign in Afghanistan is not feasible long-term, said Charles Davidson, executive director of the Political Leadership Academy at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

“The Taliban is a group of warlords…they are not a government, they are not politicians,” Davidson said. “History shows that when warlords fill a political vacuum, it’s only a matter of time until that system breaks down, if they’re not able and willing to allow people who can govern to do their jobs properly.”

Countering the Taliban’s aggressions and achieving a more peaceful outcome will take a multifaceted strategy, he said.

“We have to get people out who we promised we would get out,” Davidson said. “We have to hold to those commitments not only for the safety of our own citizens and the citizens that we worked with in Afghanistan, which is primary, but for the sustainability of our trustworthiness as a nation going forward in foreign policy and diplomatic relations.”

The next step is to promote and protect the safety and security of human rights activists, journalists and others who are likely to be targets of the Taliban-led government, Davidson said, adding protests are likely to increase. “We have to continue to shine a light on their voices so that they’re not lost, and, should they be violently oppressed, that that doesn’t go unnoticed,” he added.

Global awareness could be a gamechanger, he said.

“The reason why the Taliban was able to do what they did the first time around is that no one paid a whole lot of attention,” Davidson said. “We’re accompanying a generation of people who are now educated, who have ideas for their own future—possibilities that were afforded them through keeping oppressive regimes at bay.”

The situation is likely to get much worse before it gets better, Davidson said, which is why the global community needs to support efforts aimed at maintaining their human rights.

“One way the Taliban had other people play into their systems was choosing particular groups to oppress,” he said.

It’s much easier said than done, Davidson said, but if Afghans can stand up for those who are oppressed and work toward a sense of equality rather than playing into systems of hatred and oppression, particularly if they are the ones who benefit, then that is going to slow the systems of power the Taliban is trying to impose.

“The Taliban has made a lot of promises, especially about the economy and women’s rights,” Davidson said. “As they’ve shown, they’re not going to make good on those promises, so we have to make sure we’re making decisions based on what’s best for peace-loving Afghans.”

Charles Davidson is executive director of the Carter School’s Political Leadership Academy and President of the nonprofit ForgottenSong. He earned his PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Mason in 2019, with a focus in Middle East Conflict. Davidson lived in Afghanistan in 2008-09.

For more information, contact Mariam Aburdeineh at 703-993-9518 or maburdei@gmu.edu.

About George Mason

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at www2.gmu.edu.

Topics

Carter School Political Leadership Academy

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Afghanistan

Conflict Resolution

Tip Sheet