International community considers engagement with Taliban government in Afghanistan
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Five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, the international community shifted toward pragmatic engagement despite the regime's ongoing human rights abuses. While Western nations initially cut aid and withheld recognition, recent developments included an EU delegation hosting Taliban officials in June to discuss returning failed asylum seekers. Simultaneously, the Taliban actively sought economic support from regional states including China, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Central Asian nations interested in trans-Afghan trade routes. This pivot occurred while the UN described the country as a 'graveyard for human rights,' noting that 2.4 million girls were denied secondary education and women remained largely excluded from public life.
Consequences
If the current education ban persists, UNESCO projects the number of girls denied schooling could reach nearly 4 million by 2030 and result in a $9.6 billion loss to the Afghan economy by 2066. Increased international cooperation on deportation and trade may grant the Taliban government a degree of functional legitimacy despite the lack of formal diplomatic recognition.
Sources
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