Afghanistan Times
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By Elenoire Laudieri
For years Afghanistan has been the scene of major political upheavals, which have undermined its economic and social development.
One of the key players in the return of the Taliban regime has been Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born diplomat and U.S. Special Representative for Reconciliation in Afghanistan, who played a significant role in negotiations with the Taliban and was responsible for mediating the talks that led to the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and who appeared to be working for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Khalilzad could return to a role as a mediator with the Taliban. A month ago he was photographed in the Afghan capital accompanying George Glezmann, an American hostage freed after two years of captivity. Glezmann, a Delta Airlines mechanic, had been captured by the Taliban in December 2022 during a trip to Afghanistan.
According to an official statement, Glezmann was released through a deal brokered by Qatari negotiators, but it was Khalilzad himself who traveled to Kabul to meet with Taliban foreign ministry officials and then accompanied the American citizen to the United States. It looks like that another American hostage, Faye de Hall, is going to be released while two British nationals and other foreign prisoners still remain in Afghan jails.
It is also unclear what the Taliban got in return for the release of these U.S. citizens, but it appears that the Taliban are using the release of American hostages as a way to accredit itself with the Trump administration.
Now it appears that theTrump administration may turn again to Khalilzad to broach a new approach with the Taliban regime.
On the other hand, Afghanistan is a country rich in raw materials, especially those rare earths that the United States is so interested in. And certainly, the Americans cannot let the Chinese, with whom the Taliban instead have established good relations, take advantage of this.
Local journalists also speak of signs of discussions to reopen the U.S. embassy in Kabul, which was closed after the Taliban seized power. This move would represent a first form of recognition for a regime that has been globally censored for its human rights abuses.
These developments can play an important role in Afghan politics. On the one hand, it means normalizing and recognizing the role of a regime that, based on a fundamentalist interpretation of the Islamic religion, has deprived its people, and particularly women, of fundamental rights.
On the other, it could mark the beginning of change. Today Afghanistan faces an uncertain future, deeply marked by a government policy of closure to any liberties deemed contrary to the precepts of Islam. What is clear is that the assumption of new agreements with the United States could alleviate the grave situation that Afghans are facing.
Is this just a deal for special interests or is it really about real progress in Afghanistan? It is not possible to answer this question presently. The future will tell.
