The Price Afghan Women Pay for U.S. Arrogance 9/13/2024

                                      The Price Afghan Women Pay for U.S. Arrogance

The women of Afghanistan are paying a heavy price for the United States’ monumental arrogance. Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Trillions of dollars have been spent on failed foreign missions, including Afghanistan, with appalling outcomes.
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks, even though 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
In 2001, after the U.S. invasion, there were reports that elements within the Taliban were willing to negotiate an unconditional surrender or step down from power. However, the U.S. government under the Bush administration rejected these overtures, opting instead for a military solution. The goal at the time was not just to remove the Taliban from power but also to eliminate al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, whom the Taliban was harboring.
After squandering trillions of dollars and countless lives, President Trump decided to pull out, often negotiating with the Taliban. Abandoned were the people of Afghanistan, including the Afghan translators who were left at the mercy of the Taliban. The women of Afghanistan have suffered immensely ever since.
When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, they made promises of moderation, but they have played a deceitful game. They have incrementally stripped away the rights of women and girls to education, employment, justice, freedom of speech, and movement, criminalizing their existence outside the home. Last month, the Taliban reached a new low, introducing rules that make it illegal for a woman’s voice to be heard by male strangers in public.
Each new tightening of their misogynistic grip sparks international condemnation but no real consequences for the Taliban. They wait for the outrage to subside, further entrenching their rule without fear of repercussions or losing humanitarian aid. However, a potential new international treaty on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity may finally provide the world with legal and diplomatic leverage to hold the Taliban accountable. The United Nations General Assembly legal committee will meet in October to decide whether this treaty moves forward, and it includes a proposal to criminalize "gender apartheid."
It’s shocking that anyone believed the Taliban’s ridiculous promises about being more moderate or caring for women’s rights. Both Trump and Biden fell for these lies, throwing away 20 years of progress. Their dishonorable and disgraceful assumptions about a fanatical regime hell-bent on subjugating women have left Afghanistan’s women in peril. Both men should be ashamed of their roles in this betrayal, and unfortunately, Vice President Harris seems no more likely to act courageously on behalf of American interests overseas.
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