Out of the headlines, Afghanistan is undergoing a silent crisis that is adding impetus for the Taliban government to seek assistance and to normalize relations near and far. The detritus of its long-term conflict, an economy in disorder, climate and water instability are but some of the existential factors that simultaneously burden the country’s leadership and aggravate the outlook for its 41 million inhabitants and for its neighbors in Central Asia.

The end of the third, UN-led “Doha Process” conference on Afghanistan in June 2024 confirmed that little is changing, as Afghanistan won’t be recognized internationally or enabled to further develop and integrate economically so long as the Taliban restrict the rights of women and girls. Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world, facing persistent economic isolation and deteriorating living standards.

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