Follow us on social

Do the right thing: talk with the Taliban and lift sanctions on aid

Do the right thing: talk with the Taliban and lift sanctions on aid

Humanitarian assistance cannot depend on whether the insurgent group forms a government or what it looks like.

Analysis | Asia-Pacific

The Taliban have yet to announce a formal government despite rumors of an announcement this week. Now critical government functions and Afghanistan’s relations with the world and even its neighbors remain in limbo. The cause of this delay may be rooted in factional disagreements within the Taliban over how much power should be allocated to figures from different wings of the group. Today the director of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed arrived in Kabul likely on a quest to act as a mediator.

So far the Taliban appear to agree that the government will be led by Haibatullah Akhundzada as Emir and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as the day-to-day executive, but even the latter is not set in stone and many additional posts remain up in the air. So far all indicators point to a Taliban government that will not be inclusive of outside voices and assurances of amnesty are dubious at best. This presents a problem for the new government since it lacks the human resources to manage day-to-day governance. A return to the Emirate is unlikely to reassure former government employees that it is safe to return to work. The absence of women in any government posts will also be a forfeiture of talent and technical expertise that the Taliban desperately needs to govern effectively and one that will further alienate it from the international community. 

The Taliban need to determine whether they will remain an insurgency or become a functioning government. They cannot be both. 

Recognition of a Taliban government should depend on its behavior going forward. But the goal of U.S. diplomacy should be to engage with the people — not just the leaders — of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is quickly descending into a humanitarian disaster with rapid inflation and dispensation of cash from ATMs coming to a grinding halt. It is largely reliant on development and humanitarian aid provided by the United States and other Western countries. All indicators suggest that China does not view Afghanistan as an attractive opportunity for investment or one that is immediately beneficial to its Belt and Road Initiative in the short-term. China may publicly pledge to invest heavily in Afghanistan but past projects have stagnated and progress is likely to be measured in years.

Thus it is incumbent upon the world to find a way to provide humanitarian and development assistance even if it means working with the Taliban. In some cases the latter may be used as leverage to influence the Taliban’s behavior but the former should continue regardless. This will require some dialogue with the Taliban whether we like it or not.


Analysis | Asia-Pacific
Stars are aligned for Trump's troop withdrawal from Syria
Top photo credit: U.S. military forces walk toward their next coordination along the demarcation line outside Manbij, Syria, July 18, 2018. The U.S. and Turkish militaries conducted these patrols to help reinforce the safety and stability in Manbij. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster)

Stars are aligned for Trump's troop withdrawal from Syria

Middle East

The blitzkrieg offensive which ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 has sparked an explosive political and military reaction across the country.

Al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized Damascus, Israel extended its occupation in southern Syria, and Turkey launched fresh military operations targeting the secular, multi-ethnic, Kurdish-led federation in North and East Syria (NES), where the U.S. has long maintained a military presence with boots on the ground, justified by its anti-ISIS mission.

keep readingShow less
Donald Trump
Top image credit: President Donald Trump speaks to the media following the White House Easter Egg Roll in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2025. President Trump speaks about Secretary of Defense Hegseth, the Pope's death, and the situation in Ukraine and Iran. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto) VIA REUTERS

Ukraine and Europe can't afford to refuse Trump's peace plan

Europe

Most of the peace plan for Ukraine now sketched out by the Trump administration is not new, is based on common sense, and has indeed already been tacitly accepted by Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials have acknowledged that its army has no chance in the foreseeable future of reconquering the territories now occupied by Russia. Vice President J.D. Vance’s statement that the U.S. plan would “freeze the territorial lines…close to where they are today” simply acknowledges an obvious fact.

keep readingShow less
Michael O'Hanlon, Jack Keane, Michele Flournoy
Top photo credit: Michael O’Hanlon (DoD Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. James K. McCann), Ret. General Jack Keane (White House photo) and Michele Flournoy (CNAS/Flickr)

Could a Blobby enclave be sowing chaos at DoD?

Military Industrial Complex

UPDATE 4/24, 5:15 PM: The Defense Policy Board website has been scrubbed, as reported by The Intercept. The list of DPB members can still be viewed on an archived version of the website.


Discussing alleged Pentagon leaks with Tucker Carlson on Monday, recently ousted DoD official and Iraq war veteran Dan Caldwell charged that there are a number of career staff in the Pentagon who oppose the current administration’s policies. He then took particular aim at the the Defense Policy Board as a potential source of ongoing leaks to the press.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.