Conflict Transformation in Afghanistan
More than four decades of violent conflicts and foreign interventions have profoundly disrupted the politics and society in Afghanistan. The Taliban's forceful takeover of the country in 2021 has led to a collapse of peace process and an intersecting political, human rights, and humanitarian crises, with long-term implications for the future of peace and stability in the country and the region.
The Initiative for Peacebuilding is undertaking research to examine historical peace processes and the challenges and prospects for conflict transformation towards inclusive and sustainable peace in the country. Research is underway that examines the Taliban's ideology and policies, specifically examining their impact on human rights, the humanitarian situation, and long-term prospects for peace. The project focuses on Afghan-led processes and will also consider how Australia, the international community and regional actors can contribute to a more peaceful and stable future for Afghanistan.
Alongside research, the Initiative for Peacebuilding is focused on engagement and learning to generate and promote locally grounded and policy-relevant knowledge that centres diversity, inclusion and social justice in peacebuilding processes.
Research projects
Refugees from Afghanistan in Australia, 2001 to 2021: funded through the ACU’s FEA Discovery Grant, this pilot project studies Afghan refugee livelihoods and community development in Australian suburbia. Employing the emerging concept of ‘post-traumatic growth’, the study is based on oral history interviews with Afghan refugees and community leaders in key nodes of resettlement, such as Dandenong in Melbourne and Woodridge in Brisbane, as well as Australian community allies and supporters. This will form the foundation for a future Discovery Project grant submission (2026) about Australian engagement with Afghanistan in the twenty-first century.
Research publications
- Abid, Mujib 2025, ‘Unlocking the Taliban Puzzle: Traditions and Fundamentalisms’, in Mukhopadhyay, D. et al. (eds), Power and Authority in Afghanistan, Bloomsbury.
- Miletic, Tania, and Abid, Mujib, 2024, 'The Shrine of Remembrance Turns 90: Time to Mourn, not Glorify War, and to Seed Hope for the Living', Australian Outlook.
- Ibrahimi, Niamatullah, and Malejacq,Romain, 2024. ‘Is It Even Worth It? The Ethics of Researching Armed Groups in ‘the Field’’, Conflict, Security and Development, pp.1-34.
- Ibrahimi, Niamatullah, 2023, ‘A Violent Nexus: Ethnonationalism, Religious Fundamentalism, and the Taliban,’ The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 21:3, 22-37.
- Ibrahimi, Niamatullah and Farasoo, Abbas, 2023, ‘Understanding Shifts in U.S. Policies Toward the Taliban: A Critical Analysis,’ Millennium: Journal of International Studies 51:3, 810-838.
- Ibrahimi, Niamatullah, 2023, ‘The State, Identity Politics and Ethnic Boundaries in Afghanistan: The Case of Sunni Hazaras,’ Nations and Nationalism 29:2, 669-685.
Engagement projects
- The Intra-Afghan Dialogue in Australia: this initiative facilitates discussions and collates the views of Afghans about their past, present and, most importantly, future. Through a dialogue process, it seeks to align Afghans across geographic, ethnic, and political spectrum to a broadly shared vision for their future. The dialogues commence with a local scope but, overtime, seeks to expand in a sequential manner, coming to include diasporic Afghan communities in other Australian states. Its dual goals are fostering community cohesion among Afghans in Australia and influencing broader peacebuilding policies regarding Afghanistan.
- Launch of The Sparrows of Kabul: in August 2023, the Initiative hosted the launch of Fred Smith's book about his experience of the evacuation of Kabul at the University of Melbourne.
- Strategising political and humanitarian strategies to improve support to the people of Afghanistan: in November 2021, the Initiative for Peacebuilding hosted a roundtable discussion in conjuction with DFAT.
Media and policy engagement
- Dr Niamatullah Ibrahimi and Mr Masoom Stanekzai appeared on the Melbourne Asia Review’s Ear to Asia podcast to speak about the risks and rewards of engaging with Afghanistan’s Taliban government in January 2025.
- Dr Mujib Abid was quoted by the ABC on 11 June 2024 in an article about Australians holidaying in Afghanistan.
- Dr Mujib Abid took part in an interview for ABC Radio onTriple J’s ‘Hack’ about Australians holidaying in Afghanistan.
- Dr Mujib Abid was part of a panel discussing Power and Resistance in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan: Women, Minorities and Diaspora, organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs on 15 October 2024.
- Dr Mujib Abid took part in a conversation about Australia’s responsibility to Afghanistan and to its people organised by the University of Sydney in 2021.
- Dr Mujib Abid was part of a panel discussion about Prospects for Peace in Afghanistan as part of the Raising Peace Festival in September 2021.