Women as a Barometer of Success and Stability? Sharing "Lessons Learned" from Iraq to Afghanistan

This moderated discussion featured Isobel Coleman, senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Coleman discussed her recent book, "Paradise Beneath Her Feet", which paints a vivid picture of the status of women’s rights in the Middle East and highlights the transformative role women are playing in the region.

Also on the panel was Manal Omar, director of Iraq Programs at USIP and author of the recent "Barefoot in Baghdad", which details Omar’s experiences as an American aid worker of Arab descent working in Iraq. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, journalist and deputy director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations moderated the event with an eye on lessons learned for and from Afghanistan.  She is author of the upcoming book, "The Dressmaker of Khair Khana", which tells the story of a young Afghan entrepreneur whose business created jobs and hope for her community during the Taliban years.

Speakers

• Isobel Coleman
  Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy
  Council on Foreign Relations
• Manal Omar
  Director of Iraq Programs
  U.S. Institute of Peace
• Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Moderator
  Deputy Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program
  Council on Foreign Relations
• Kathleen Kuehnast, Welcome and Introductions
  Gender Adviser, Gender and Peacebuilding Initiative
  U.S. Institute of Peace

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