Natalie Gonnella-Platts, and Jessica Ludwig
Many of the Afghans who sought refuge in the United States fled the country because working with the United States and the international community in pursuit of a peaceful and prosperous future for all made them a direct target for Taliban retribution. Forcing them to return to their homeland would place Afghans at risk of losing their freedom—and possibly even their lives.
And yet a growing chorus of influencers dismisses these concerns. This includes arguments that Afghan refugees in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have no reason to fear returning to Afghanistan, completely ignoring the harsh daily realities faced by most Afghan citizens living under the Taliban. Most of these arguments also omit any mention of the Taliban’s past and present ties with other terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network, responsible for the deaths of approximately 2,000 U.S. servicemembers, let alone the fact that the United States has designated the Taliban itself as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
As we have documented in a series of reports published by the George W. Bush Institute, the Taliban’s claims to have reduced violence and corruption are regularly proven false by their direct actions. In reality, they have relied on mafia-like behavior to consolidate power and control over the Afghan population. The resulting corruption and kleptocracy have imposed severe human costs—including child labor, starvation, and lack of healthcare—with significant consequences for regional and global security.
If the Taliban have evolved in any way over the past three decades, it is only that they have become savvier and more sophisticated in their propaganda and abuse of power. From travel bloggers and social media personalities to government officials and policy experts, those who endorse their claims and behavior are apathetic to the widespread atrocities committed against the Afghan people by the Taliban. In many ways, they are also directly complicit in the legitimization of the Taliban and acceptance of extremism, autocracy, and institutionalized misogyny.
No comments:
Post a Comment