RASC News Agency: According to Foreign Policy, the United States should address the Taliban’s “anti-women” practices. The analysis states, “Despite Afghanistani women being confined to their homes and deprived of fundamental rights, neither regional Islamic nations nor the United States has actively pursued measures to compel the Taliban to reverse its anti-women policies.” The analysis highlights that the Taliban’s new law was announced amid the U.S. presidential election campaign, with neither candidate addressing the issue of Afghanistani women’s rights. It notes that during the ABC News debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Afghanistan was only discussed in terms of the internal consequences of the U.S. withdrawal.
Foreign Policy underscores that the central tenet of U.S. policy towards Afghanistan is to ensure security and counter the threat posed by “terrorist” groups based in the country. General David Petraeus, former CIA Director, recently told Al Arabiya that the Taliban is unable to contain cross-border attacks from ISIS and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which he finds “highly concerning.” Petraeus added that Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, is, in many respects, a “failed state.” The publication further notes, “The U.S. has threatened to isolate the Taliban globally if they do not address women’s rights, but efforts to ostracize the group are undermined by the ongoing engagement of China, Russia, Pakistan, Qatar, and several other countries with the Taliban for economic and security reasons.” It adds that since the U.S. withdrawal, there has been no active U.S. policy to effect change or assist Afghanistani women, leaving this responsibility to the United Nations.
Foreign Policy proposes that one potential solution to the current situation is forming a coalition of Islamic countries to challenge the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia. The analysis concludes that if the next U.S. President disregards Afghanistan, it will effectively ignore a threat to the U.S. The publication stresses that confining women to their homes and depriving them of fundamental human rights illustrates a pattern of the Taliban’s failure to uphold their promises, and this stance could potentially extend to their foreign policy.
