"The resurgence of the Taliban poses renewed threats to the Hazaras, characterized by escalated violence, discrimination, and isolation," writes visiting scholar Tawab Danish.

From a sociologist accused of treason to a political cartoonist to an Afghan artist, displaced scholars fleeing conflicts in their home countries have found refuge at Cornell, which has hosted more Institute of International Education scholar and artist fellows than any other university in the world. 

Eugene Nikiforovich, a fluid mechanics expert from Ukraine, researches geothermal energy and its properties—work he has been able to continue with support from Cornell since leaving Kyiv two years ago.

Afghan scholar Tawab Danish spoke at an event hosted by Einaudi's South Asia Program titled Hazaras and Shias: Violence, Discrimination, and Exclusion Under Taliban Rule. "We should use sanctions to force the Taliban to sit at the negotiation table. Otherwise, they have the power," said Danish.

For its work supporting international scholars whose work puts them at risk in their home countries, Cornell has been awarded the Institute of International Education’s Centennial Medal, which celebrates the achievements and leadership of individuals and institutions that have made important contributions to international education.

Azat Gündoğan is a former IIE-Scholar Rescue Fellow who was hosted in the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. The resources and connections he built at Cornell helped him to land a job. Now, he is an assistant teaching professor in the University Honors Program at Florida State University.

Politics, Art, and Free Expression featured Afghan artist Sharifa “Elja” Sharifi, Nicaraguan political cartoonist Pedro X. Molina, and Khadija Monis ’24 an Afghan student, poet, and artist. The panel was moderated by Rachel Beatty Riedl, director of the Einaudi Center.

Dr. Sharif Hozoori was awarded an IIE-SRF fellowship in August 2021 and joined Cornell University as a Visiting Scholar at the Einaudi Center's South Asia Program.

An event featuring threatened artists from Nicaragua and Afghanistan kicks off Global Cornell’s contribution to this year’s campuswide theme, "The Indispensable Condition: Freedom of Expression at Cornell."

"Afghanistan is a country of ethnic minorities. No one can claim to be part of a majority," said Sharif Hozoori at a September 21 event on "Ethnocentrism and Democracy Failure in Afghanistan."