University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy Interim Director Dr. Kathleen Montgomery has spent much of her time working on projects in Afghanistan, including efforts to bolster opportunities for women in the country. Now, she says watching the panicked scenes unfold amid the U.S. troop withdrawal has been "horrifying."
"We've worked with a generation of young women in Afghanistan, providing them promise for the future, encouraging them in education across the board in types of positions in jobs they never would have had access to under the Taliban," Dr. Montgomery says. "Reading the news, looking on Twitter, and articles, these women are, if not afraid for their very lives, they certainly have seen or fear the end of any of their hopes or aspirations for the future, which Western agencies have encouraged them to have."
