When: Tuesday, 8 September 2026
Where: The Sticky Wicket Pub, Studio 919 (downstairs; the former Wicket Hall), the Strathcona Hotel, 919 Douglas Street
Time: 5 – 7:00 pm (doors open at 5 pm)
Speaker: Corey Levine

Five years after the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces in August 2021, Afghanistan stands at a pivotal and deeply uncertain moment. In this talk, our speaker will confront how the Taliban’s return to power has reshaped the country and what these shifts signal, not only for Afghanistan’s future, but also what they say about global humanitarian and political currents. Indeed, the Taliban’s restrictive policies have not only increased the humanitarian crisis in most areas of the country they have created the world’s first gender apartheid state. These issues have led to tensions with other countries in the region, particularly with Iran and Pakistan where the forced return of millions of refugees from both countries have escalated into ongoing border skirmishes. Despite the cascade of internal and regional pressures, the Taliban continues to seek formal recognition from the global community. The central issue now looms large: where does Afghanistan go from here?

Our speaker will explore the forces shaping the country’s trajectory, the choices confronting Afghanistan and the Taliban, as well as the regional and the international dynamics that will define what comes next.

Corey Levine

Corey Levine is a human rights and peacebuilding policy expert, researcher and writer. She has spent more than 25 years working in conflict areas, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, East Timor, Iraq, Kosovo, Mali, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Ukraine. She has also worked with various non-governmental, bilateral and multilateral organizations, including various UN organizations (DPKO, UNHCR, UN Women, OHCHR), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, CIDA, the UK Stabilization Unit, and Amnesty International.

Corey also taught at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica, the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre in Ghana, and the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa. Her writing has been published in various academic journals and books as well as with a wide number of media outlets, including CBC Online, the Globe and Mail, The Hill Times, and the Ottawa Citizen. For the last four years she has been working as a volunteer to assist at-risk Afghans to leave and find safety in other countries.

Corey is a recent recipient of the King Charles III Coronation medal and the Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage award for her work in assisting Afghans at-risk.

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Registration details will be sent by email to CIC Victoria members very soon.  This event is for CIC members only.

The cost to attend is $22.50, which will covers the first drink and a round of appetizers.

The last day to register for this event is Friday, 12 June 2026 at midnight. No refunds are possible after this date and time unless we can fill the cancellation from a waiting list.