Nearly one year after the U.S. completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban-led country remains on the brink of failure. U.S. sanctions and the freezing of foreign exchange reserves continue to hurt an economy that was left in ruins by decades of war and political upheaval. Afghans are dependent on aid – $774 million from the U.S. this year – to eat.
The dismal situation recalls the years after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. After pledging to assist the Afghan resistance to oust the Soviet-backed Communist regime in Kabul, the West largely abandoned Afghanistan. Rival factions fought each other for control. By 1996, a mysterious group of Islamist fighters known as the Taliban had prevailed over a ruined country.
In this episode of History As It Happens, Adam Weinstein, an expert on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, discusses the many reasons why the war-ravaged nation is veering toward collapse, even if most Americans are no longer paying attention.
“I think they have largely forgotten about Afghanistan, but we have to remember that they had forgotten about Afghanistan prior to last August. What has really changed is that the U.S. government is less focused on Afghanistan than it has been for the past 20 years, and the international community as well,” said Mr. Weinstein, who served in the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan in 2012.
The Biden administration refuses to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, even though there are no major opposition groups to speak of. Drug addiction is running unabated, further fueling despair. The Taliban have sent most women back into their homes, effectively denying half the population a formal education. Poverty is everywhere.
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“So far as the U.S. government goes, there is no presence in Afghanistan. The U.S. continues to provide aid, but there is no diplomatic presence in the country,” Mr. Weinstein said.
Listen to the full interview with the Quincy Institute’s Adam Weinstein, who joined the program from Islamabad, Pakistan, by downloading this episode of History As It Happens.
