The Unconquerable Country: Afghanistan's Complex Unity Challenge

Afghanistan has been plagued by violent conflict, natural disasters, and economic collapse for decades. The country has a long history of foreign invasions and has been referred to as the graveyard of empires. In August 2021, the Taliban, also known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, took control of the country, leading to international donors suspending most non-humanitarian funding and freezing billions in assets. This caused the economy to spiral, with nearly half of the population living in poverty and facing food insecurity.

The Taliban has imposed policies that severely restrict the rights of women and girls, banning them from many forms of employment and education. They have also carried out broad censorship and have tortured and detained journalists and activists. The country is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 90% of the population living below the poverty line and millions lacking access to safe water and healthcare.

The complex and protracted humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is further aggravated by political insecurity, economic instability, and epidemics, particularly among children. Despite these challenges, donors and humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance to the most vulnerable.

With a history of conflict and the current Taliban rule, unifying Afghanistan under a single government seems like a challenging task.

The Taliban takeover and its implications for human rights, particularly those of women and girls

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has had devastating consequences for the human rights of women and girls in the country. The Taliban have imposed a range of restrictions on women's rights, including their access to education, employment, healthcare, freedom of movement, and political participation.

In terms of education, the Taliban have banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and prohibited women from enrolling in tertiary education. This has disrupted the education of millions of girls and young women, causing them to lose years of schooling and limiting their future opportunities. The Taliban have also imposed restrictions on the curriculum, removing subjects such as physical education and art, and increasing the focus on religious studies.

When it comes to employment, the Taliban have banned women from working in most sectors outside the home, with only a few exceptions such as primary education and healthcare. This has resulted in the loss of livelihoods for many women, as well as a lack of female representation in various fields. The Taliban have also targeted women-owned businesses, such as beauty salons, forcing them to close and further limiting women's economic opportunities.

Healthcare access for women and girls has been impacted by the Taliban's restrictions. The ban on female aid workers and the dissolution of support systems for survivors of gender-based violence have left many women and girls without access to essential medical care and psychological support. The lack of female healthcare workers has further compounded this issue.

The Taliban have also severely restricted the freedom of movement for women and girls, banning them from travelling long distances without a male chaperone and confining them to their homes unless necessary. This has made it difficult for women to access essential services and participate in public life. Additionally, the Taliban have imposed strict dress codes and dictated how women should travel and behave in public.

The Taliban takeover has also resulted in the complete exclusion of women from public office and the judiciary, with no women holding cabinet positions in the de facto administration. This has effectively eliminated women's right to political participation and representation in decision-making processes.

The implications of the Taliban takeover go beyond the immediate loss of rights and freedoms for women and girls. The restrictions have had a detrimental impact on their mental health, with reports of increased feelings of insecurity, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, insomnia, and a sense of loss and helplessness. The lack of access to education and employment has also affected their financial stability and increased their vulnerability to gender-based violence and forced marriages.

The response of the international community to the Taliban's violations has been criticized as inadequate and lacking urgency. There have been calls for stronger actions to hold the Taliban accountable and protect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The economic collapse and the resulting humanitarian crisis

Afghanistan's economy collapsed after August 2021 when the US, World Bank, and other donors cut off foreign development assistance. The country's central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank, was cut off from the international banking system, and its assets were frozen. This led to a massive liquidity crisis and shortages of banknotes. The impact on the population was immediate and severe, with nearly half living in poverty and experiencing economic hardship.

The economic collapse was exacerbated by the Taliban's policies, which restricted the rights of women and girls and barred them from most forms of employment and education. The healthcare system has largely collapsed, and the country is facing extreme food insecurity, with around 15.3 million people suffering from crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. The situation is further worsened by climate change, with flooding and earthquakes affecting the country.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is one of the worst in the world, with over 90% of the population living below the poverty line and millions lacking access to safe water and appropriate healthcare. The crisis has been fueled by economic instability, political insecurity, and epidemics.

The root causes of the humanitarian crisis are almost entirely economic: millions of dollars in lost income, spiking prices, and the collapse of the banking sector. The decisions by the US and other governments to cut off the central bank from the international banking system and freeze its assets have had devastating consequences for the Afghan people.

The economic collapse has led to a massive drop in purchasing power, with most households experiencing significant decreases in income or losing their source of income entirely. This has resulted in a liquidity crisis and severe shortages of banknotes, both in US dollars and the local currency, Afghanis. The private banks are unable to cover withdrawals, and even when funds are electronically transferred, they cannot be withdrawn due to the lack of physical cash.

The impact of the economic collapse on women and girls has been particularly severe. Taliban policies have barred women from most paid jobs, and almost 100% of female-headed households are facing insufficient food consumption. The healthcare system's collapse has also disproportionately affected women and girls, who already had limited access to sexual and reproductive health care.

The situation in Afghanistan is dire, and the economic collapse has had devastating consequences for the country's population. The humanitarian crisis is widespread, and the future outlook for the country remains uncertain.

The role of the US and NATO in Afghanistan

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, which was supported by NATO allies, was a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The goal was to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists and to deny international terrorist networks the ability to organise and launch attacks on NATO member countries. This marked the first and only time that NATO's collective defence provision was invoked.

In the years that followed, NATO allies and partners engaged in a range of political and military efforts, from combat operations to cooperative security outreach and humanitarian development projects. These initiatives aimed to enable the Afghan government to exert its authority over the country, build the capacity of the Afghan national security forces, and ultimately create a strong and stable government capable of guaranteeing peace and stability for all Afghans.

During this period, NATO played a crucial role in facilitating multinational collaboration and providing a structured forum for strategy-making. It offered common doctrine, standards, and training to enhance interoperability among allies and partners. Additionally, NATO's integrated joint multinational military structure, unique among alliances and international organisations, facilitated the integration of forces and capabilities from over 40 countries.

However, the lack of clear and agreed-upon strategic ends at the institutional level posed significant challenges. The expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under NATO leadership in 2003, from a non-combat organisation with a limited mandate to one responsible for military operations throughout Afghanistan, highlighted the absence of a unified strategic vision. This resulted in different ISAF countries pursuing varying priorities within their areas of responsibility, hindering effective coordination.

Another challenge arose from the overlapping authorities and command structures within the coalition. The separation between the NATO-led ISAF and the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, with differing missions and command chains, created complexities in the field. While some dual-hatting of roles was necessary, it also led to prioritisation issues and affected camaraderie among troops.

Despite these challenges, NATO's involvement in Afghanistan had a positive impact on the Alliance itself. It promoted allied political cohesion and demonstrated the convening power of NATO, as allies remained committed to the campaign despite its domestic unpopularity and tenuous connection to their direct security interests. Additionally, the mission provided valuable training and experience for participating national militaries, enhancing their interoperability.

In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement for the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan by May 2021. This decision was driven by a shift in the terrorist challenge, with the rise of new threats beyond Afghanistan. The rapid collapse of the Afghan government and security forces during the summer of 2021 led NATO to focus on evacuating personnel from allied and partner countries, as well as vulnerable Afghan citizens. Over 120,000 people were evacuated in one of the largest airlift operations in history.

The impact of climate change on the country

Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The country has seen a temperature increase of 1.8 °C since 1950, with an average annual temperature rise of 0.6°C between 1960 and 2008, and a further 1.2°C between 2009 and 2016. This has resulted in more frequent and intense droughts, floods, flash floods, avalanches, and heavy snowfalls, affecting over 200,000 people annually and causing loss of life, livelihood, and property.

The impact of climate change on Afghanistan is far-reaching, with overlapping interactions of natural disasters, conflict, agricultural dependency, and socioeconomic hardship. The country's economy is also affected, with the World Bank projecting that Afghanistan will experience warming higher than the global average, leading to massive droughts and desertification. The majority of the country's population faces food insecurity, with an increase in malnutrition and disease outbreaks.

Climate change has also contributed to the environmental crisis in Afghanistan, including deforestation, land degradation, and pasture degradation. Communities are struggling with reduced incomes as farming becomes increasingly challenging due to recurrent drought, drying land, severe flooding, and excessive use of farmland. Desertification has affected over 75% of the total land area in the northern, western, and southern regions, reducing vegetation cover and accelerating land degradation.

The convergence of these factors has severe consequences for livestock and crop production, forcing people to adopt negative coping strategies such as child marriage, child labour, and internal and external migration. Afghanistan is now facing a major humanitarian crisis, with a record 29.2 million people requiring humanitarian assistance.

To address the impact of climate change, Afghanistan submitted a climate plan to the United Nations in 2015, outlining the need for at least $2.5 billion for watershed management and $4.5 billion for restoring irrigation systems by 2030. However, the country's efforts to secure funding for climate change adaptation have been challenging due to its political situation and the exclusion from global climate change talks.

The future of Afghanistan's healthcare system

Afghanistan's healthcare system has been steadily progressing over the last 17 years, with increasing coverage of health services throughout the country. In 2018, a total of 3,135 health facilities were functional, which ensured access to almost 87% of the population within a two-hour distance. However, the system has been under strain since the Taliban takeover in 2021, with the World Bank and other donors cutting off development funding, including for health. This has had a devastating impact on the country's healthcare system, which was already heavily reliant on international aid.

The impact of the Taliban takeover

The sharp reduction in financial and technical development support for Afghanistan's public health system since the Taliban takeover in 2021 has severely harmed the country's healthcare system. The lack of sufficient healthcare services has undermined the right to health for millions of Afghans and has left the population vulnerable to disease and other consequences of inadequate medical care. The collapse of the Afghan economy and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs after the Taliban takeover have driven many Afghans into extreme poverty, leaving them unable to pay medical expenses. Almost two-thirds of the Afghan population needed humanitarian aid by the end of 2023.

The way forward

Despite the challenges, there are some signs of hope for Afghanistan's healthcare system. The EU has been funding humanitarian operations in the country since 1994 and continues to provide life-saving assistance. In 2023, the EU allocated €156.5 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including support for emergency food assistance, education in emergencies, access to clean water and sanitation facilities, and protection services.

In the long term, increased allocation of domestic resources to health services is key to ensuring the sustainability of the country's health system. Co-financing mechanisms and other strategies will be needed to increase domestic resources for health in the short term. At the same time, continuous support from the international community is crucial for maintaining the provision of health services and minimizing the impacts of the severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

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