Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November/December 2025, pp. 77-78
Waging Peace
FOUR YEARS AFTER the Taliban’s return to government following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the country faces many challenges, including a struggling economy and human rights violations—especially against women and girls. But, according to an Aug. 15 Stimson Center panel, there are several opportunities for international engagement with Kabul.
Youssof Ghafoorzai, former Afghan ambassador to Norway and the United Nations, pointed out that Taliban leaders, while not having official recognition from Washington, have met with representatives from China, Russia, Pakistan, India and Central Asian republics to discuss security concerns and economic opportunities.
Western countries, on the other hand, have focused on providing humanitarian assistance, containing the “terrorist threat” emanating from Afghanistan and trying to find ways to end the repressive policies the Taliban have imposed against women and girls. Meanwhile, both blocs have emphasized the importance of forming an inclusive government to represent a cross-section of Afghan society.
Politically, it’s obvious that the absence of a legitimate and inclusive government has deepened the country’s crises, Ghafoorzai noted. Failing to represent all segments of its society has resulted in Afghanistan losing support in the international community and prevented it from maintaining normal state-to-state relations with other countries. A political message, he suggested, should be sent to the Taliban: “You can be part of this solution, but not the solution by yourself.”
From a humanitarian standpoint, the majority of the population of some 42 million, including six million internally displaced persons, need urgent assistance. In addition, more than two million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year.
Amina Khan, director of the Center for Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa at Islamabad’s Institute of Strategic Studies, noted since the Taliban’s return to governance four years ago its relationship with the Pakistani government has generally followed a negative trajectory, with violence across the border and unprecedented Pakistani military deaths in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region during battles with the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).
For the Pakistanis, the main concern is security, “whereas for the Afghan Taliban, now it is trade,” she said. “If both these issues are dealt with adequately, I think the relationship can move forward.” One positive note, however, is Pakistan’s upgrading of its chargé d’affaires in Kabul to the level of ambassador in April of this year.
Sarah Godek, a research associate with Stimson Center’s China program, said that China took a proactive approach and has become a major player in Afghanistan since the Taliban took charge. Relations between the two countries improved when China became the first nation to send a new ambassador to Afghanistan in September 2023. Reciprocally, China became the first country to accept a Taliban ambassador when Bilal Karimi came to Beijing in late 2023 and presented his credentials in a formal ceremony with President Xi Jinping.
But now, the Taliban are shifting priorities. They are not just prioritizing China anymore, but also Russia, India and even the United States to some extent, Godek observed. They are also engaging with some of their Central Asian neighbors.
Shalini Chawla, a distinguished fellow at the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi, said that India maintains a cautious and pragmatic approach to Afghanistan. Recently, she noted, the foreign secretaries of both countries held productive talks in Dubai.
The Indian government, she said, does not believe a complete policy of isolation will work with the Taliban. Hence, India opened its embassy in Kabul in mid-2022 and simultaneously provided humanitarian assistance, including food, grain, medical kits and pesticides. “All the steps that India has taken are for the people,” Chawla stressed.
—Elaine Pasquini
