🇦🇫 The Taliban are abject. But democracies must still speak to them.

Five years after the Taliban’s return to power, their regime appears firmly entrenched in Afghanistan. Western isolation has practically changed nothing in their domestic policy, while Russia, China, India, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are already developing their own relationships with Kabul.

For The Economist, continuing to ignore the regime primarily risks leaving the field to Moscow and Beijing, while worsening the economic and humanitarian situation of Afghans. The newspaper therefore advocates a more pragmatic approach: maintain humanitarian aid, review certain sanctions, and progressively restore diplomatic channels.

This does not mean approving or legitimizing the Taliban. The restrictions imposed on women and girls remain extremely severe. But acknowledging a political reality can enable more dialogue, intelligence, and influence than five years of isolation.

🌍 Speaking to a regime that one condemns is not the same as approving it. Sometimes it’s simply geopolitics.