Panel discussion: Reporting Afghanistan with Lyse Doucet

Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, has been checking into the Inter-Continental since 1988. And in her book, she uses its story to craft a richly immersive history of modern Afghanistan.

It is the story of Hazrat, the septuagenarian housekeeper who still holds fast to his Inter-Continental training from the hotel’s 1970s glory days—an era of haute cuisine and high fashion, when Afghanistan was a kingdom and Kabul was the ‘Paris of Asia’. It is the story of Abida, who became the first female chef to cook in the Inter-Con’s famous kitchen after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. And it is the story of Malalai and Sadeq, the twenty-something staff who seized every opportunity offered by two decades of fragile democracy—only to witness the Taliban roaring back in 2021.

The result is a remarkably vivid history of how Afghans have survived a half century of destruction and disruption. It is the story of a hotel but also the story of a people.

Lyse Doucet is a Canadian-born journalist and the BBC's Chief International Correspondent. In the course of a career spanning four decades, she has reported from countries including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria, leading the BBC's coverage of events including the invasion of Afghanistan, the Arab Spring, and the Syrian Civil War. She received an OBE in the Queen's Honours list in 2014, and was admitted to the Order of Canada in 2019. Her awards include the Columbia School of Journalism Award in 2016 and an Emmy in 2014 for her team's reporting from Syria. In 2021, she was nominated for a Peabody Award for her work as a writer and reporter on the BBC podcast Afghanistan: Documenting A Crucial Year. Doucet has been reporting on Afghanistan since 1988. She visits the Inter-Continental whenever she is in Kabul.

Mahfouz Zubaide is a BBC producer who has worked closely with Lyse Doucet in Afghanistan.

Christina Lamb is one of Britain’s leading foreign correspondents and a bestselling author. Currently chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times of London, Christina’s postings have included South Africa, Pakistan, Brazil and Washington, and she has recently reported on the refugee crisis across Europe and the Yazidi women enslaved by ISIS in Iraq. Christina has written eight books including the bestselling The Africa House and I Am Malala and is a patron of Afghan Connection and on the board of the Institute of War and Peace Reporting. Her latest books are Farewell Kabul; From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous World and Nujeen; One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair.

Mr. Saad Mohseni is an Afghan-Australian businessman and entrepreneur currently serving as the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MOBY GROUP. In this role, he has been widely applauded for his role in advancing press freedom, empowering civil society and defending women’s rights. Time Magazine recognized him in 2011 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, while in 2013, Foreign Policy magazine named him among 100 Global Thinkers. In 2016, he was featured in the Business Insider 100 “The Creators” list, and recognized by the BBC as one of 10 men globally championing gender equality. Mr. Saad also serves as a board member for the International Crisis Group (ICG) and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).