Don’t Abandon Afghanistan’s Economy, Too

As soon as Western powers pulled out of Afghanistan, they began to ask themselves what their remaining sources of leverage over the Taliban were. In forums such as the G-7 meeting chaired by the United Kingdom, conversations rapidly turned to the possibility of using funding as a means of pressure. This is a dangerous approach.

Afghanistan is critically dependent on foreign aid. In recent years, it was not unusual for the country to have received aid amounting to 43 percent of its GDP. That flow of funds has now been suspended, giving the West leverage. But if the West exercises pressure indiscriminately, it will pull Afghanistan’s last remaining support just as the country is being abandoned. The Taliban may