The Atlantic Council posted a call on Monday, entitled “Afghanistan is about to collapse. Here’s what the US must do about it” – signed by eight US ambassadors and three generals with experience in Afghanistan, including Gen. David Petraeus. It notes the “humanitarian catastrophe” unfolding and the “cutoff of most external assistance and the freezing of most of Afghanistan’s monetary reserves, thereby eliminating 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and 75 percent of the government’s budget.” On top of it notes, the collapse of the currency and the banking system, the “prolonged drought” and “a raging COVID-19 pandemic..” Finally, it cites the World Food Program’s estimate that “only 5 percent of Afghan households have sufficient food to eat each day…”
After describing the reluctance of the Biden administration and others to provide support that helps the Taliban, it admits that there are means to get resources where they have to go, including proposals by USAID directors and World Bank officials; so what is really needed now is political courage. “The longer decisions are postponed, the more difficult it will become to prevent the looming humanitarian catastrophe in the country and the deaths of many Afghans.” They “believe the United States has a reputational interest and a moral obligation” to provide aid, and they conclude: “We therefore recommend that the Biden administration expedite its consideration of these issues and, working in close coordination with key allies, come forward with tangible proposals to help stabilize the Afghan economy for discussion with other donors and ultimately presentation to the Taliban.”
