Sarah Chayes

The Re-Talibanization of Afghanistan

Special Advisor to US General Stanley McCrystal,  Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan

Founder of the Arghand Cooperative, maker of skin care products from botanicals produced in Khandahar, Afghanistan

Former reporter for National Public Radio

Monday, November 16, 2009

4:30 pm

Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall

Sarah Chayes has been living and working in Kandahar, Afghanistan since 2001, when she covered the fall of the Taliban for National Public Radio. In 2002 she decided to leave journalism to help rebuild the shattered country, whose fate will help determine the shape of the 21st century.

Currently she runs a cooperative in the former Taliban stronghold, producing fine skin-care products from local fruits, nuts, and botanicals. (www.arghand.org) The aim is to discourage opium production by helping farmers earn a living from licit crops, as well as to encourage collective decision-making. From this position, deeply embedded in Kandahar’s everyday life, Ms. Chayes has gained unparalleled insights into a troubled region. Her book about Afghanistan since the Taliban is The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban (New York: Penguin, 2006)