Defeating the Taliban, One Educated Girl at a Time

New Thinking for a New World - a Tallberg Foundation Podcast

Pashtana Durrani, an Afghan woman dedicated to advancing her country by empowering women and educating girls, one at a time

Terrorists and Afghanistan were back in the headlines because of the recent murderous ISIS-K attack on a concert in Moscow. No one should be surprised, since terrorism seems to be one of that benighted country’s few reliable exports. But, shouldn’t we all be worried that once again the Taliban seem to be hosting terrorists who can strike far outside their borders? And shouldn’t someone be trying to do something about the underlying problems of a failed state?

The good news is that someone is: Pashtana Durrani, a formidable Afghan woman, is deeply devoted to bringing her country into the 21st century, one empowered woman and one educated girl at a time. Through Learn, an organization that educates high school girls in their home villages, she might be one of the bigger threats to Afghan fundamentalism in the long run. Needless to say, the Taliban aren’t happy with her, which is why she works from exile.

Pashtana recently published “Last to Eat, Last to Learn” describing her journey so far. The book and this conversation aren’t just optimistic, they are proof points that individuals can make a difference, if they are stubborn and have good ideas. Ms Durrani, who was honored in 2021 as a Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize winner in the Emerging Leader category, has both.

Moreover, she may be right: educated girls might just be to the Taliban what kryptonite was to Superman. What do you think?