There is still time to change course and make good on almost two decades of shared investment and sacrifice in Afghanistan. Several immediate steps should be taken to accomplish this.
First, the Biden administration should reestablish close coordination on Afghanistan with its European, NATO, and Afghan government partners, following a unilateral US process with the Taliban that committed its allies to concessions without their agreement. The US has greater leverage over the Taliban when it can put on a united front with its allies. The early calls
between the Biden administration and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government are a promising indication of a more constructive and collaborative approach. Closer coordination with NATO allies on Afghanistan will also help in the broader goal of rebuilding America’s transatlantic relationships.
Second, with the US-Taliban agreement, President Biden
inherited a rapid troop drawdown that is not based on conditions. The US should now re-assert meaningful conditions and place its commitments on hold if they are not met. At the same time, they must continue to support professionalized, and apolitical Afghan National Defense forces, as our main security partner and the central engine of security for the Afghan people.
Third, the US — joined by its transatlantic allies — should also demand an immediate nationwide ceasefire and a demonstrated commitment to a genuine peace process that would include future political arrangements and the rights of women.
As several former US diplomats have
proposed, both the Taliban and the Afghan government should agree to an independent, third party mediator to help work through complex and divisive issues in order to support and reach a political settlement. In the meantime, the United Nations, for its part, should not lift sanctions on the Taliban until it meets basic human rights obligations.