‘there’s never been a situation, of which I’m aware, in which an entity like the Taliban…are designated, and have long since been designated, and now are controlling an entire country’

In this episode, Justine is joined by Adam M. Smith, Partner, Gibson Dunn, to talk about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, including the implications from the Central Bank funds being frozen, to what extent sanctions in place affect the government, recently introduced Afghanistan General Licenses, and the options available to the international community to ensure the movement of permissible humanitarian funds.

Adam is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Gibson Dunn. He is an experienced international lawyer with a focus on international trade compliance and white collar investigations and has previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Director of OFAC and as the Director for Multilateral Affairs on the National Security Council.

Adam also recently spoke to the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee at a hearing on ‘Afghanistan’s Future: Assessing the National Security, Humanitarian and Economic Implications of the Taliban Takeover’. You can view the hearing here: https://www.banking.senate.gov/hearings/afghanistans-future-assessing-the-national-security-humanitarian-and-economic-implications-of-the-taliban-takeover

Read Adam’s full bio at https://www.gibsondunn.com/lawyer/smith-adam-m/