New thinking is needed to bring stability to Afghanistan

Last place on a global index of peaceful countries is never a good place to be, but this week’s news that Afghanistan was the world’s most dangerous place for a sixth year in a row should focus minds on the nation’s enduring state of crisis. Afghanistan remains a country that is politically and diplomatically isolated, economically broken and that faces a persistent – and deadly – terrorist threat . According to a UN report this week, at least 1,000 Afghan civilians have been killed in bombings and other violence since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021. ISIS has been blamed for most of these attacks. In May, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister held a meeting with senior Pakistani officials to discuss border security in an attempt to reduce tensions on the two countries’ frontier after attacks by militants against Pakistani forces. Later that month, Taliban fighters became embroiled in a lethal clash with Iranian border guards that reportedly led to three deaths. This is nothing to say of the other problems gripping Afghan society, such as women and girls’ rights to work and education being severely restricted by the country’s rulers. A Taliban policy of banning female NGO staff and preventing Afghan women from working for the UN is undermining the humanitarian response to the country’s many pressing issues. Such a situation cannot be left to continue indefinitely. The international community studiously ignoring the reality of Taliban rule is not leading to any improvements for the Afghan people. Dealing with the world as it is, not as we want it to be, is a first step in recognising the reality of this situation and responding to it in an effective way. This means making moves to revitalise Afghanistan’s economy, such as revisiting the international sanctions that limit the country’s ability to raise funds, trade, invest and develop its infrastructure. Although there is understandable reluctance to prevent the Taliban from claiming a diplomatic win on this front, helping impoverished Afghan people to earn a decent living and have access to essential services is more important, as well as being crucial to stabilising the country. Opening the way to economic recovery may also help revive the country’s civil society, which has been left hamstrung by Taliban rule and the country’s international isolation. The country’s rulers appear unmoved by outside appeals to change their policies but stronger, emboldened and more confident Afghan voices at home could go some way to changing the country’s direction. Many would be disappointed and frustrated at moves that could entrench Taliban rule, particularly those who have fought hard for the rights of Afghan women and girls. But unless there is a change in approach, this time next year Afghanistan could well appear last on the Global Peace Index for a seventh year running. That would be a failure of pragmatic statecraft to find a way out of the current impasse, and one that would condemn millions of Afghans to further insecurity.