THE HUMANITARIAN crisis in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is no longer receiving the attention that it deserves from the international media. Afghanistan has suffered from a myriad of catastrophes since the Taliban took control over the majority of its land in August, 2021. The Taliban’s lack of adequate knowledge in state administration has led citizens to suffer from prolonged inadequate governance. Putting identification of the cause of Afghanistan’s woes aside, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China have publicly called on the international community to provide aid to Afghanistan and have expressed their dissatisfaction with Afghanistan's exclusion from the global community. It is rare for the three countries’ humanitarian efforts to be in the limelight as said efforts are overshadowed by their human rights violations. Considering their track records, it is presumable that their mulish insistence on international monetary aid for the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan entails ulterior motives.

The innumerable dilemmas in Afghanistan

   In the seven months since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's government, the economic situation in the country has deteriorated on every front[1]. Less than 20% of the country’s approximately 2,300 health clinics are functionable, and this number is expected to decrease. Medicine and medical equipment are scarce, and medical staff members have not received a paycheck since August of 2021. Along with the impending medical crisis, there is a food shortage that is currently affecting more than half of the country’s population. Out of 39 million people, at least 20 million are on the verge of experiencing a famine unless humanitarian aid is immediately delivered. Additionally, there have been setbacks in Afghanistan’s social equity and education advancements[2]. Before the Taliban’s rise to power, more than nine million Afghan children were in schools. After 2021, more than four million students have stopped attending schools, with girls accounting for more than half of those students. The Taliban has been stalling over its decision to allow girls’ resumption of education despite international criticism. Moreover, even if the Taliban allows girls to return to schools, it is likely to be tainted by gender segregation and selective application: girls will be required to adhere to strict dress codes, and the ones in certain conservative regions will not be guaranteed access to education. Like medical staff members, numerous teachers have also not been paid for more than half a year.

   Due to the Taliban’s status as a terrorist organization, the Biden Administration has halted all U.S. aid to Afghanistan and denied the country access to at least $9.4 billion of its reserve assets[3]. Recently, the United States has only been sending monetary aid to Afghanistan in small increments. In addition, the denial of access to its own money has cut Afghanistan off from many foreign banks, further isolating the country. However, experts believe that blaming U.S. sanctions for Afghanistan’s plight fails to properly reflect the reality of the situation. They alternatively cite the Taliban’s internal bureaucratic issues and fundamental inability to engage and negotiate with the international community or revive the domestic economy.

The Taliban’s governance problems

   The Taliban leadership has vehemently denied the existence of domestic crises, despite a plethora of evidence suggesting otherwise[4]. The root cause of the Taliban’s governance issues lies in its selection of members for government and management-level positions. While the Taliban pledged that top government positions would be allocated based on merit, the terrorist organization reneged on its promise and gave said positions as honors to its prominent current and ex-fighters and former exiles who fought for its cause over two decades ago. For example, the Taliban appointed Sirajuddin Haqqani as the current Interior Minister of Afghanistan[5]. Haqqani, still on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, has been actively fighting for the Taliban for at least 20 years and is definitely unqualified. Similarly, several other key positions such as Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Defense Minister are occupied by known notorious criminals who are wanted by most Western nations for various heinous crimes. Likewise, top managerial positions in institutions like police departments and schools were given to soldiers and radical theologians.

   The Taliban is facing these staffing issues and actively recruiting ex-members from foreign countries because most of the qualified people fled Afghanistan as soon as the Taliban declared victory in late 2021. At least 120,000 Afghans fled the country on U.S. and European airlifts––most of them being civil servants, bankers, academics, and doctors. In addition, the Taliban has also removed qualified women from their positions and instructed them to have male family members fill the positions regardless of eligibility.

International involvement and underlying motivations

   Afghanistan occupies a key position in Asia’s geography that attracts the attention and interests of Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. These nations’ efforts to enable the flow of aid into the Taliban-led Afghanistan is indubitably based on ulterior motives. Aiding Afghanistan—and establishing relations with the Taliban in doing so—would mainly serve their economic, security, and social interests.

   In December of 2021, Saudi Arabia called for an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Pakistan to discuss the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan[6]. Several Islamic countries, some members of the European Union (EU), China, Russia, and many others attended the meeting. At Saudi Arabia’s behest, the OIC members agreed to establish a trust fund for Afghanistan. Among OIC members, Saudi Arabia has been the most active in helping Afghanistan; the Saudi government has already pledged $266 million in aid and has sent assistance packages with clothes and food through aircrafts. Most importantly, an envoy from Afghanistan praised Saudi Arabia for creating “a channel to connect Afghanistan to the world” during the OIC meeting.

   Professor Park Jong-dae (Prof., Int. Studies, UIC & GSIS, Yonsei Univ.) states that Saudi Arabia closely followed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and only intervened later to caution the organization against violence and extremism. Saudi Arabia’s shift from mere observance to humanitarian assistance in Taliban-led Afghanistan is now “consistent with its foreign policy to maintain regional stability and its own security, influence, and prestige.” He also elaborated on the dynamic between Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan: “Historically, Saudi Arabia has exerted strong influence on Afghanistan and was a major funder of the Mujahideen fighters[7]. It was also one of the first countries to recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan in 1994.” Saudi Arabia’s historic influence on Afghanistan will be able to bridge the huge gap in the international community’s expectations from the Taliban and what the Taliban regime can realistically accomplish in terms of liberal, democratic values.

   Professor Park highlighted the different perceptions of democracy in Western and Middle Eastern countries. Contrary to the more conventional Western definition of democracy, the “Middle-Eastern standard of human rights” and their own version of democracy is founded upon a central government that practices tribalism. This means that individuals belong to subsidiary tribes “that are self-sufficient and can––to a certain extent––govern themselves. He stated that “the central governments believe that the balance they have with the tribal system is democratic.” By embracing its pivotal role in facilitating a compromise between Western ideals and Afghanistan’s Middle-Eastern standards of human rights, Saudi Arabia ultimately seeks to side-step its many human rights violations and seeks to present itself as a champion of peace and compromise on the international stage.

   In Russia’s case, it is planning oil and gas investments in Afghanistan that the Taliban welcomed by vowing to introduce investor-friendly laws for Russian investors[8]. Moreover, Russia has sent three airplanes with 36 tons of food and blankets and plans to send an additional 72 tons worth of humanitarian and monetary aid. While Russia has declined to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s official government for now, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia recognized “[the Taliban’s] efforts to stabilize the military and political situation and set up work of the state apparatus.” Russia has also warned the international community against excluding Taliban-led Afghanistan from the international stage, boosting Afghanistan’s diplomatic standing[9].

   Dr. Olga Krasnyak (Prof., Dept. of Int. Relations, National Research University Higher School of Economics) said that “Russia would be naive to give money and aid to countries it did not have an interest in.” She believes that there are two main reasons behind Russia giving aid to developing countries like Afghanistan––the first being that humanitarianism is a part of Russia’s foreign policy. It believes in helping people who are going through difficult situations. Secondly, Russia wants Taliban-led Afghanistan to remain peaceful because of its strategic aims and security concerns regarding Afghanistan’s shared borders with Central Asian countries. Russia is considered to be a political and economic leader with transboundary influence in Central Asia. This aid, therefore, is supposed to “ease tensions in the Central Asian region.” When asked about Russia’s potential concerns for the abatement of its influence in the region due to Taliban-led Afghanistan sharing similar religious beliefs and ethnicities with Central Asian countries, Dr. Krasnyak explained that she did not “believe that Russia is providing aid to discourage the Taliban from exerting influence over Central Asia because it has no reason to be concerned in the first place.” According to her, it is highly unlikely that Central Asian countries would abandon Russia—a rational and advanced country that has been their “big brother” for centuries—for Afghanistan only because of their similar religious beliefs and ethnicities.

   Following the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and Russia, China is also pressuring the World Bank and the United Nations (UN) to assist Afghanistan[10]. China has pledged $31 million in aid to the Afghan people and has agreed to invest billions of dollars in the Afghan economy if the Taliban can guarantee the safety of Chinese workers. China has also shown its diplomatic support for the Taliban by referring to the United States as “the culprit of the Afghan [humanitarian] issue” and urging the Biden Administration to “respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.” In numerous meetings with Taliban leadership, China has displayed willingness to keep lines of communication open with the nation, despite its denial to recognize the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan.

   China—unlike Saudi Arabia and Russia—has the opportunity to more liberally build a strong economic and diplomatic relationship with Afghanistan because China has never had a notable point of contact with the Taliban[11]. Beijing can offer the Taliban political indifference and economic investment opportunities, and the Taliban can offer Beijing infrastructure and industry-building opportunities in Afghanistan. Professor Daryl Bockett (Prof., Int. Studies, UIC, Yonsei Univ.) also added, “Geography places Afghanistan on China’s border, and the Americans created a power vacuum when they left. China’s goal is to stabilize Afghanistan under the Taliban and have them view China favorably, so that no problems spill over in China.” With this reasoning, $31 million is basically nothing in terms of international relations.

   China’s aid toward the Taliban-led Afghanistan could concerningly be an attempt to rebrand itself as an ally to the Muslim community, concealing its allegedly ongoing inhumane treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Professor Bockett explained, “It is possible that it might have been a factor in China’s decision-making when discussing whether to give aid and how much to give. However, it is important to remember that the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda—not the Taliban—are the groups that have an international orientation.” If IS and Al-Qaeda have not looked towards Xinjiang to liberate the Uyghurs, then it is highly unlikely that the Taliban will take any such steps; the Taliban simply does not have the vision or international reputation for such actions. China has no reason to fear the Taliban or change its policy in Xinjiang. He also noted that China rebranding itself would mean “a big strategic shift in policy.” The Chinese government has not made any modifications to its treatment of the Uyghur Muslims in any significant way, so rebranding is a moot point.

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   Despite the humanitarian crisis, political stability in Afghanistan has been achieved. The very instigators of violence—the Taliban—are now residents of the Presidential Palace in Kabul. It is important to consider how this stability complements the motives of Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China.

   Professor Park concurred that if Afghanistan is ostensibly stable under a Taliban-controlled government, then it will be easier for Saudi Arabia to influence Afghanistan to be somewhat more progressive from the Western perspective. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia will be able to fast-track its endeavor to reinvent itself as a promoter of peace and progressivism in the Middle East. Furthermore, according to Dr. Krasnyak, the current political atmosphere organized by the Taliban is in Russia’s security benefit as well. Russia’s only choice is to be rational and have diplomatic relations with the group that is willing to take responsibility for Afghanistan––and that happens to be the Taliban. In terms of China, Professor Bockett agrees that stability in Afghanistan is beneficial for Beijing as well, especially if it is based upon the Chinese government’s terms. If the Chinese government assists the Taliban’s authoritative ruling of Afghanistan, and the Taliban is willing to cooperate with China’s management style, it would perfectly fulfill China's purpose. As for the known terrorists in the current Taliban-led government, China will not shy away from negotiating with terrorists as long as the Taliban does not impinge on Chinese sovereignty.

[1] The New Yorker

[2] Al Jazeera English

[3] The Washington Post

[4] The New York Times

[5] BBC News

[6] Arab News

[7] Mujahideen fighters: Islamic rebel fighters who fought for Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War and later became members of the Taliban

[8] Anadolu Agency

[9] PONARS Eurasia

[10] Anadolu Agency

[11] The New York Times