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Five for Friday
A Weekly Digest from the Bush Center

August 20, 2021

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President and Mrs. Bush's Statement on Afghanistan

Monday, August 16, 2021

Laura and I have been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness. Our hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much.

The Afghans now at the greatest risk are the same ones who have been on the forefront of progress inside their nation. President Biden has promised to evacuate these Afghans, along with American citizens and our allies. The United States government has the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises. And we have the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay. Our most stalwart allies, along with private NGOs, are ready to help.
Read the full statement [image: arrow] <[link removed]>


In Focus


Explaining the Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan
Natalie Gonnella-Platts, Director of the Women’s Initiative at the Bush Institute, and immigration expert Laura Collins, Director at the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, discuss the current crisis in Afghanistan and the critical and urgent action the United States and allied partners must take to save lives.
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Anita McBride – ‘Struck by the Continued Resilience of Afghan Women’
Anita McBride, member of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council and White House Chief of Staff for Mrs. Bush, joined Good Morning America this week to discuss what the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan means for its women and children.
Watch the interview [image: arrow] <[link removed]>

Dr. Rice Reflects on Democracy Work in Afghanistan
In a new op-ed for The Washington Post , Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Director of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former Secretary of State, reflects on the work toward democracy in Afghanistan done by both Americans and the Afghan people. She contends that it’s up to the United States and its allies to provide refuge “for the Afghans who believed in us” to show that “we still believe in them.”
Read the op-ed [image: arrow] <[link removed]>

Charity Wallace Advocates for the Lives and Future of Afghanistan People
Charity Wallace, former Chief of Staff to Mrs. Bush and Bush Institute Women’s Initiative Advisory Council member, examines the Taliban's previous treatment of Afghan women in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Wallace writes that the U.S. must demand humane treatment for Afghanistan's citizens, especially for its women and girls.
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