Via Email the Honorable Antony J. Blinken United States Secretary of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 August 18, 2021
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Via email The Honorable Antony J. Blinken United States Secretary of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 August 18, 2021 URGENT Re: Saving Afghanistan's future Dear Secretary Blinken: Scholars at Risk, together with the undersigned higher education institutions, associations, networks, and professionals, request your immediate action to save Afghanistan’s scholars, students, practitioners, civil society leaders and activists, especially women and ethnic and religious minorities. Scholars at Risk is an international network of over 500 other higher education institutions in 40 countries whose core mission is to protect threatened scholars and intellectuals, principally by arranging temporary positions at network-member institutions for those who are unable to work safely in their home countries. Over the last 20 years our network has assisted over 1500 threatened scholars, students and practitioners. We are racing to offer assistance to colleagues in Afghanistan who at this moment are desperately seeking ways out of the country. Many have already moved into hiding and may soon take the perilous step of looking for a way over land borders. They may not have worn a uniform or received a US government paycheck, but for the better part of twenty years they have fought alongside US interests for a new, rights-respecting, forward-looking, knowledge-based Afghanistan. Hundreds of them traveled to the United States to seek an education and returned to their homeland, dedicated to values of openness and tolerance. These are not the values of the Taliban, so their lives are now at risk. Timely US government action can still make an enormous difference, and maybe yet save Afghanistan’s future. We implore you to act on their behalf now. Specifically, we seek immediate action from USDOS and relevant USG departments and agencies to: • Continue evacuation flights for as long as possible so as to include scholars, students and civil society actors who have supported the forward-looking, pluralist vision of Afghanistan that the US mission embraced. Do not end flights until all are safely out. • Include SIV, P1 and P2 candidates among those evacuated by US forces and their agents for relocation, temporarily to third countries at least, ideally for transit to the US as early as possible. • Advise all US and ally embassies and consulates wherever they are located to receive and process SIV, P1, and P2 applications, as well as J and other appropriate visa applications, for Afghan nationals in their respective territory or for those still in Afghanistan, and facilitate entry to the US or a third country as rapidly as possible. • Create a priority processing pathway for those candidates who demonstrate an existing partner, host institution, job, or sponsor, including for families, that would facilitate their arrival and earliest adjustment. Many US institutions and individuals are ready to help; capture that opportunity by expediting the processing of individuals known to them and for whom they are ready to step forward. • As to scholars and researchers in particular, waive the intent-to-return and home residency requirements on US J visa applications for Afghan nationals for the foreseeable future. Barring full waiver, issue authoritative guidance to consular and border officials supporting a determination of satisfaction of the intent to return by showing a willingness to return in the absence of the Taliban, or a credible, durable and rebuttable demonstration that the individual would be able to return and live safely under the Taliban. • Establish a dedicated funding stream for scholars, students, and civil society actors from Afghanistan, including men and especially women and ethnic and religious minorities, to undertake study, fellowships, lectureships, researcher positions or temporary academic positions at US higher education institutions, similar to the programs created during the Iraq conflict but on a much larger scale reflective of the much larger threat posed by the military withdrawal and subsequent collapse of the Afghan national government. Some funds for such streams might be redirected from existing funds budgeted for Afghanistan programming, but which may not be possible to expend under the current conditions. Nevertheless, new funds will be required to meet the most urgent needs. We ask for a phone call with the appropriate officer at your earliest possible convenience to discuss the situation, the recommendations above and any possibilities for further action or support. The window in which to take these steps, save lives, and redeem some measure of the US investment in Afghanistan’s future is rapidly closing. Your urgent intervention is needed to mobilize the relevant departments and agencies. The eroding situation in Afghanistan poses a threat not only to the lives of our colleagues still in Afghanistan, but to the future of that country, and to the future security and honor of the United States. The US higher education community is ready to do its part, but we need your help. If we move quickly, we can go a long way towards mitigating the worst of the threats and demonstrate continuing commitment to the future of Afghanistan and its people. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your urgent reply. Your staff may reach me anytime at [email protected] or +1-917-710-1946. Sincerely, Robert Quinn Executive Director 2 [Signatory list attached, updated August 18, 2021, 3:15PM EST] CC: Dean Thompson Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs United States Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Via email: [email protected] Senator Charles E. Schumer 322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Via email: [email protected] Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 478 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Via email: [email protected] 3 Signatories to the urgent appeal for Afghanistan’s scholars, students, practitioners, civil society leaders, and activists (as of August 18, 2021, 3:15PM EST; list will be updated regularly) Higher education institutions 1. Dennis Hanno, President, Wheaton College (MA), MA 2. Cynthia Larive, Chancellor, University of California Santa Cruz, California 3. Suzan Harrison, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Eckerd College, Florida 4. Eric Spina, President, University of Dayton, Ohio 5. Suzanne Rivera, President, Macalester College, Minnesota 6. Morton Schapiro, President, Northwestern University, Illinois 7. Valerie Smith, President, Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania 8. Damian Fernandez, President, Eckerd College, FL 9. Michael Roth, President, Wesleyan University, CT 10. Andrew Hamilton, President, New York University, New York 11. Florian Becker, Director, Bard College Berlin, Berlin 12. Adela de la Torre, President, San Diego State University, California 13. Sophie Wauquier, Professor. Vice President in charge of academic freedom, University Paris 8 Vincennes St Denis 14. Nishi Dhupa, Associate Vice Provost, International Affairs, Cornell University, New York 15. Ian Grubman, Associate Director of Federal Relations, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, NJ Higher education or related associations, networks, societies, and organizations 1. Mariko Silver, President & CEO, Henry Luce Foundation, New York 2. James Grossman, Executive Director, American Historical Association, DC 3. Jacek Kucharczyk, President, Institute of Public Affairs, Melbourne, Australia 4. Mary Lee Kennedy, Executive Director, Association of Research Libraries, DC 5. Thomas Barfield, President, American Institute of Afghanistan Studies, Massachusetts 6. Jack Simony, Chairman, The Negotiation Institute, New York 7. Gabriel Twose, Senior International Affairs Officer, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC 8. Abby Paulson, Associate Director, Government Relations and Public Engagement, American Political Science Association, DC 9. Abhay Pandit, Director, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway 10. Arien New University in exile Consortium, Director, NY 11. Jacob Shapiro, Managing Director, Empirical Studies of Conflict Project (ESOC), New Jersey 12. Edward Liebow, Executive Director, American Anthropological Association, VA 13. Jacob Rennaker, Executive Director, The John A. Widtsoe Foundation, California 14. Judith Shapiro, President and Professor of Anthropology Emerita, Barnard, PA 15. Kelly Shannon, Executive Director of the Peace, Justice, & Human Rights Initiative at Florida Atlantic University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida 16. Alyson Reed, Executive Director, Linguistic Society of America, DC 17. Nancy Kidd, Executive Director, American Sociological Association, Washington DC 18. Rich Barnett, Emeritus in History, University of Virginia & American Institute of Afghan Studies, VA 19. Sukti Dhital, Executive Director, Robert and Helen Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, New York 20. Hector Ulloa, President, Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund (SAIH), Oslo 21. Jade d'Alpoim Guedes, Associate Professor, International Institute, University of California, San Diego, CA 22. Eric Stover, Faculty Director, Human Rights Center, Berkeley Law, University of California, Berkeley, CA 23. Thomas Engel, Executive Director, International Theatre Institute / German Centre, Berlin 24. Rowena Pecchenino, Chair, SAR Network Ireland 25. Pauline Jones, Director, Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum, University of Michigan, Michigan Personal endorsements 1. Dipali Mukhopadhyay, Associate Professor,