The World Bank has suspended aid to Afghanistan, saying it is “deeply concerned” by the situation there, especially regarding women’s rights, after the Taliban seized power, reports AP. Western media has also focused on the situation of women and the consequences of Taliban seizing power. One therefore finds it difficult to understand why the US made an official deal with the Taliban and left abruptly without ensuring the security and status of women in Afghanistan.
“We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women,” the WB has said. The World Bank has more than two dozen development projects ongoing in the country and has provided $5.3 billion since 2002, mostly in grants. The WB has suspended all projects and waited to make any announcements till their staff members were out of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Washington has said, it would deny the Taliban access to the country’s gold and cash reserves, most of which are held overseas. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also suspended operations with the country, including existing loan programs.
The Western strategy is clear. It wants to deny all access to funds and financial resources while promoting a demonization of the Taliban by focusing on its policy towards women as the reason. However, how it will improve the status of women by holding back funds and making economic life difficult for the entire Afghanistan including its children is not explained. If the entire Afg suffers so will the women and if that is given as the argument for denying funds, the position of women and children will worsen further.
Spending trillions of dollars in Afghanistan by the US to “construct the state” has been a serious failure as per its own financial watchdogs. If the goal was to rebuild and leave behind a country that can sustain itself and pose little threat to U.S. national security interests, the overall picture is bleak,” John Sopko, of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has said.
The SIGAR document, “What We Need to Learn: Lessons From Twenty Years Of Afghanistan Reconstruction “was written before the departure began and means that the US administration and establishment knew that the US’s state making project had failed.
That the US and its ally institutions like the World Bank will push is natural but to what end is not clear. Such steps will further radicalize the Taliban and will create problems not just the region but globally as well. The very reason why the US came to Afghanistan was to prevent Islamist violence and its current decisions seem to have the exact opposite objectives. Why arrive then? Why leave then?
Let’s hope right now the West is hurting too much and is not talking full sense. By inflicting pain on Afghanistan as a way of making life better for women there is the most conflicting possible policy statement. Things will certainly get worse for all.
