three years after the us withdrawal from afghanistan, the sanctions have never stopped
2024-08-29
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the united states launched the war in afghanistan under the banner of "anti-terrorism", destroyed the country, ruined the lives of several generations, and finally walked away, leaving behind only devastation.
three years after the withdrawal of us troops, the sanctions have not yet ended
■ zhu yongbiao and hu ning
on august 30, 2021, as the last us c-17 transport plane took off from kabul international airport, the 20-year war in afghanistan ended with the hasty withdrawal of the us military. according to statistics, during the 20-year invasion of afghanistan by the us military, 174,000 afghans, including more than 30,000 civilians, were killed, and nearly one-third of afghans became refugees.
three years have passed, and although the security situation in afghanistan has improved, the pain caused by the long-term war in the country continues. to this day, the afghan issue remains severe, and peaceful reconstruction faces many challenges. as the instigator, the united states still uses sanctions and other means at will, continuing to play the ignominious role of a destroyer and troublemaker in afghanistan.
on august 30, 2021, american soldiers boarded a military plane at kabul international airport in afghanistan to prepare for evacuation. file photo
oblivion
in order to cover up its failure in afghanistan, the united states has consciously led the international community to selectively forget the afghan issue, and even continued to fan the flames in other regions to divert attention. as the russian-ukrainian conflict and the palestinian-israeli conflict continue to evolve, the international community has indeed paid more attention to these regional hotspots, while the afghan issue has been marginalized to a large extent, and the resources invested by the international community in the afghan issue have dropped sharply.
the taliban, who have regained power, also hopes that the international community will selectively forget some of the afghan issues. the taliban is relatively conservative in ideology, especially the conservatives who believe that too much contact with the international community will have an impact on their traditional values and social order. therefore, they prefer the country and the organization itself to maintain a certain degree of closedness to reduce the influence of external factors. at the same time, in order to maintain the independence of the regime and reduce the interference and accusations of external forces in afghanistan’s internal affairs, so as to formulate and implement domestic policies more independently, the taliban also hopes to gain more time and space for its own domestic governance and reform by reducing international attention. therefore, in addition to calling on the outside world to continue to provide assistance and investment, the taliban did not choose to become an active member of the international community.
from the former "graveyard of empires" to the current "forgotten corner", afghanistan still has a long way to go in its future development. if afghanistan is unconsciously neglected by the international community, then the united states is consciously kidnapping and punishing all afghans, and some western countries are also punishing afghans by disengaging and stopping trade. it can be said that under the leadership and influence of the united states, the afghan people are facing multiple dilemmas of being forgotten and isolated.
sanctions
over the past three years, afghanistan's economy has been in a continuous recession, with unemployment rates remaining high. according to un data, afghanistan's gdp has shrunk by 26% in the past two years. many afghans have lost their sources of income due to the withdrawal of foreign capital and international sanctions, and are living in poverty. many of the surviving companies in afghanistan are unable to operate normally due to lack of electricity and other reasons.
after the withdrawal, the united states not only froze billions of dollars of overseas assets of the afghan central bank, but also imposed comprehensive sanctions and threats on afghanistan through economic and political means, which directly led to a shortage of foreign exchange and rising prices in afghanistan. this not only aggravated afghanistan’s economic difficulties, but also seriously hindered its reconstruction and development process.
on the one hand, the united states puts pressure on countries that plan to invest in afghanistan, warning them of the political risks that may arise from their investments. the united states has limited afghanistan's opportunities to participate in international economic cooperation by isolating the afghan interim government on the international stage. the united states also hinders the international community from directly assisting afghanistan and restricts international financial institutions from providing loans to afghanistan. this continued political pressure has forced some countries to reassess their investment plans in afghanistan, or even to abandon their investments.
on the other hand, the united states has also ignored the afghan people's calls for economic development and improved livelihoods, and threatened to impose sanctions on foreign companies and individuals investing in afghanistan, including restricting their financial transactions in the united states and prohibiting them from using the u.s. financial system. from time to time, messages have been heard from within the u.s. government that they will increase sanctions on the taliban on the grounds of supporting terrorism and restricting human rights, and even threaten to investigate funds remitted to afghanistan. this step-by-step threat and risk has caused foreign investors to have serious concerns about the investment environment in afghanistan, and therefore they are more cautious in their actions.
pain
a us veteran once wrote an article to question: as outsiders, the us military can choose to leave, but what choice do the afghans who are guarding their broken homes have? three years have passed, and the pain brought to the afghan people by the united states is far from healed.
currently, afghanistan is still facing a serious humanitarian crisis, including food shortages and lack of medical resources. the united nations has repeatedly issued warnings and called on the international community to increase its aid to afghanistan. the united states has been trying to portray itself as a constructive force in afghanistan, and even believes that it has made great sacrifices for afghanistan. but in fact, the united states has always been inconsistent in its words and deeds on the issue of aid to afghanistan. the afghanistan special inspection team established by the u.s. congress recently released a report claiming that the united states has allocated about 21 billion u.s. dollars to afghanistan and afghan refugees in the past three years. however, the afghan interim government's ministry of economy denied this, saying that the united states, in the name of afghanistan, has only launched "aid that has nothing to do with the afghan people and is not provided to the afghan people."
although the us military has withdrawn, its negative legacy is still endangering the security of afghanistan and surrounding areas. the us military left behind a large number of weapons when it withdrew. these weapons have frequently appeared in terrorist attacks and insurgent activities in pakistan, iran and other countries, accelerating the deterioration of the regional security situation. in addition, the large number of unexploded ordnance and mines left by the united states also pose a long-term threat to the safety of life and property of the afghan people and even economic development. statistics show that in the first half of 2024 alone, more than 300 people were killed or injured in afghanistan, of which 82.5% of the victims were children.
the activities of u.s. drones in afghan airspace have never stopped. some countries and international organizations have called on the united states to respect afghanistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, stop drone patrols and deterrence, and resolve differences with afghanistan through peaceful means. however, the u.s. side has turned a deaf ear to all these calls and arrogantly stated that the taliban's inability to control afghan airspace is a problem they need to solve themselves, not the united states' responsibility. this is a true arrogant hegemon!
after 20 years of war in afghanistan, the united states has not only failed to realize the "free society" it has portrayed, but has brought endless pain to the afghan people. after the hasty withdrawal, the united states still set up multiple obstacles, which seriously restricted the reconstruction and development process of afghanistan. at the same time, the united states, unwilling to give up, did not stop contacting and negotiating with the taliban, and claimed that the taliban was "cooperating" with the united states in anti-terrorism. many american politicians believe that the contact and peace talks with the taliban, and even the abandonment of the former afghan government, were a good deal, and they are just waiting for another opportunity for a deal.
analysts pointed out that the united states is trying to continue to control and influence afghanistan through sanctions and other means, and the only victims will be the afghan people, and the resulting negative impacts will continue to ferment.
on august 23, 2022, a child stood in the ruins in sangin, helmand province, southern afghanistan. file photo
(author’s unit: afghanistan research center, lanzhou university)
(source: china military network-liberation army daily)
