Flash Points: How to deal with the Taliban

Should Washington engage the regime or its opposition? [Foreign Policy Logo]( [Foreign Policy Flashpoints]( March 05, 2023 | [View in browser]( To read unlimited articles featured in Flash Points, [sign in]( or [subscribe today](. Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, the international community has struggled to form a coherent approach to the Taliban, particularly as Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis has worsened. As countries have tiptoed around engagement, politicians, analysts, and Afghans have asked: Should the West engage the regime at all? And if so, how? In this edition of Flash Points, we explore the complexities of this debate as it pertains to international aid, Afghanistan’s foreign reserves, and, perhaps most controversially, diplomatic recognition.—Chloe Hadavas --------------------------------------------------------------- [A Nobel Nominee’s Controversial Call for Engagement With the Taliban]( Mahbouba Seraj, a rights activist and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, says there’s no choice now but to talk to Afghanistan’s new rulers. By Lynne O’Donnell --------------------------------------------------------------- [To Help Afghanistan, Engage Its Political Opposition]( The Taliban’s rule isn’t inevitable or forever. By Richard Fontaine and Lisa Curtis --------------------------------------------------------------- [Don’t Release Foreign Reserves to the Taliban]( Unfreezing billions of dollars while huge revenues flow to Kabul risks legitimizing an extremist regime. By Sarajuddin Isar --------------------------------------------------------------- [How Afghanistan’s Money Exchangers Have Worked Around the Taliban]( They are, increasingly, the only financial link that connects the country to the rest of the world. By Nafay Choudhury --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Taliban Are Losing Some of Their Cash Cows]( The U.S. and U.N. are halting aid as the Taliban ratchet up their atrocities. By Lynne O’Donnell Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images --------------------------------------------------------------- [Meet Leaders in Global Affairs]( [Meet Leaders in Global Affairs]( A graduate school experience is not defined solely by the degree program’s curriculum. Of great importance is the transfer of knowledge, lessons, and skills from experts and educators — such as professors, deans, directors, and alumni — to students . Meet the leaders who shape students’ experiences and are developing the next generation of global changemakers. [Click here to access our special graduate program guide and request information from the featured schools](. --------------------------------------------------------------- In-depth geopolitical coverage you won't read anywhere else. When you [subscribe to FP]( you'll gain access to daily analysis and reporting on ForeignPolicy.com and in the mobile app, leading foreign policy experts on FP Live, our 50 year print archive and subscriber-only comments sections. [See what you can do with an FP subscription.]( FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to FP’s Flashpoints newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. [unsubscribe]( | [privacy policy]( | [contact us]( | [partner with FP]( Foreign Policy magazine is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2023 Graham Digital Holding Company. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005. [Link](