The Lost Kingdom: Memoir of an Afghan Prince - His Royal Highness Prince Ali Seraj

The Institute of World Politics

The Lost Kingdom: Memoir of an Afghan Prince A lecture at The Institute of World Politics, May 8, 2018. About the Book: His Royal Highness Prince Ali Seraj, a member of the royal family of Afghanistan, brings four decades of history to life—from the Cold War era when his famed nightclub in Kabul was a hotspot for global celebrities, jetsetters, and spies, to the communist Soviet takeover that killed members of his family, put a price on Prince Ali’s head, and forced him to make a harrowing escape from his homeland in disguise with his American wife and family. Prince Seraj’s intimate and historic portrait of modern Afghanistan tells the inside story of a proud, ancient culture grappling with a turbulent history of invasion and transformation. His passionate and adventure-filled story opens a new door to understand a nation irrevocably linked to the stability and prosperity of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and to the United States. About the Author: Prince Ali Seraj is a direct descendant of nine generations of Kings of Afghanistan. He is the nephew of His Majesty King Amanullah (1919-1929), known as the Victor of Afghanistan, the grandson of His Majesty Amir Habibullah (1901-1919), the great-grandson of His Majesty Amir Abdurrahman (1880-1901), known as the Iron King. His ancestry continues on to His Majesty Amir Dost Mohammad who assumed the throne in 1827. After the communist coup d'états in 1978, Prince Ali escaped to the United States and made a successful career in business development, sales, and marketing. He also helped establish several multi-million dollar businesses in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Germany. Prince Ali worked very closely with the Reagan and Bush administrations during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. attack on the Taliban/Al Qaeda, respectively. He returned to Afghanistan after decades of exile to continue his charitable work. Since then, Prince Ali has developed a very important relationship with all the different tribes in Afghanistan as a result of his involvement with his country's people. Due to this relationship, Prince Ali has embarked on a mission to unite the Tribes as one, and established a movement under the name, "National Coalition for Dialogue with Tribes of Afghanistan." Today, Prince Ali assists NATO commanders with setting up meetings among tribal and religious elders to establish a dialogue of common understanding between Coalition Forces and locals. He is also assisting ISAF commanders in establishing a security network in the district of Kabul through his contacts with different tribal elders. Prince Ali will discuss his recently released memoir, The Lost Kingdom: Memoir of an Afghan Prince.