Ajmal Ahmady is the former acting governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and is now a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Ajmal joins Macro Musings to talk about his experience as a central bank governor in Afghanistan and the challenges now facing the nation’s economy. Specifically, David and Ajmal discuss his unique role as the country’s central bank chief, the structure of the Afghan monetary system, the state of the nation’s economy moving forward, and more.

 

Transcript for the episode can be found here.

 

Ajmal’s Twitter: @aahmady

Ajmal’s Harvard biography: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/about/senior-fellows#ahmady

Ajmal's research: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/programs/senior.fellows/2021-22/Ahmady_Research%20Proposal%20(summary).pdf

 

Related Links:

 

Ajmal’s Twitter thread about Afghanistan’s collapse:

https://twitter.com/aahmady/status/1427265049668636674?lang=en

 

*Why Afghanistan Fell: An Insider’s Account of What Went Wrong* by Ajmal Ahmady

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2021-10-11/why-afghanistan-fell

 

*Afghanistan Faces an Economic Crisis, as Well as a Humanitarian One* by Ajmal Ahmady

https://www.ft.com/stream/75ed5ed6-883f-402c-b04b-4d1ddd5ab670

 

*The Taliban Can't Print Cash and Other Afghan Business Challenges* by Ajmal Ahmady

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-09-07/the-taliban-can-t-mint-money-and-other-business-challenges-in-afghanistan

 

*Severe Drought Adds to Afghanistan’s Woes, Endangering Millions as Economy Collapses* by Sune Engel Rasmussen

https://www.wsj.com/articles/severe-drought-adds-to-afghanistans-woes-endangering-millions-as-economy-collapses-11633872935#:~:text=Severe%20Drought%20Adds%20to%20Afghanistan's,Millions%20as%20Economy%20Collapses%20%2D%20WSJ&text=The%20drought%20has%20compounded%20the,Taliban%20overthrew%20the%20previous%20government.

 

 *Regional Power Back Aid for Afghanistan as Russia Hosts the Taliban* by Aljazeera

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/20/russia-hosts-taliban-for-talks-but-warns-no-recognition-for-now

 

David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth