A path to peace in Afghanistan with President Ashraf Ghani

The TED Interview

TED

Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2020

⏱️ 40 minutes

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Summary

The war in Afghanistan has wrought turmoil and loss of life for nearly two decades. But that is just one side of the story. President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani digs into what's needed to bring peace and positive change to his country -- including the importance of sharing common ground with its neighbors, allies and adversaries; elevating the voices of women; and pushing forward a strategy for the pandemic that doesn't abandon its people in poverty. This virtual conversation is part of TED2020, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson. It was recorded June 16, 2020.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ted Audio Collective
0:11.0	Hello and welcome to the Ted interview. I'm Chris Anderson. Today we have something pretty special.
0:16.0	It's a chance to talk with the man who arguably has the single most challenging job in the entire world.
0:22.0	Dr Ashraf Ghani has been a distinguished anthropologist, he's worked at the World Bank,
0:27.0	and now he is the president of Afghanistan.
0:31.0	So this country, you know, I had the great good fortune to spend several years there as a boy between the ages of 10 and 13 and then again at 18
0:40.0	at a time when the country was at peace. My father was an ophthalmologist working there.
0:46.0	And seeing this nation with its beautiful mountains, its verdant valleys and extraordinary people,
0:53.0	it will never leave my head. It is such a special place.
0:59.0	It's been absolutely heartbreaking to see that it has been racked by one war after another.
1:07.0	And to run that country, I mean that is just an impossible job.
1:12.0	And yet this man, Dr Ghani, is I think you're here. He doesn't sound like a typical politician.
1:19.0	He comes to philosopher spirit in there. He actually gave a TED Talk in 2005 on how to rebuild a better state,
1:26.0	and of course he's trying to put some of those ideas into practice now.
1:31.0	Whenever I have the honour of speaking with Dr Ghani, I learn something new.
1:35.0	I heard his nuanced thoughts on what to make of this two decades old war that has cost so much in both blood and treasure.
1:45.0	And how he handles delicate relationships with the US, with Pakistan, with his political rivals.
1:52.0	But most of all he teaches me how the deep thousand year traditions of a country torn by war
2:00.0	might actually have a lot to teach us about making peace.
2:04.0	So this interview was recorded before a live virtual audience at Dead 2020,
2:08.0	which is going on now and into July. Let's begin.
2:13.0	Dr Ghani, Assalamu alaikum. Thank you for coming and spending this time with us.
	...

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