The relative dearth of U.S. politicians speaking out has some activists fearing that Trump will compromise with the Taliban in ways that will threaten the gains Afghan women have made since 2001
, cosigned by fellow Democratic senators Bob Menendez and Patrick Leahy, that urged Pompeo to include and prioritize Afghan women in the peace talks.
The Taliban representatives had been due to meet in Doha, Qatar, with a delegation of prominent Afghans, many of whom were expected to be women. The talks were scuttled at the last minute over several issues. But Khalilzad has insisted that no peace deal is final until the “intra-Afghan” portion is inked. That potentially could include a power-sharing deal between the Taliban and the current Afghan government, or at least pave the way for the Taliban to formally enter the political realm.
Former U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to Afghanistan leads the U.S. delegation in peace talks with the Taliban. | Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images Activists worry that non-committal statements from Khalilzad, Pompeo and others Trump aides will open the door to a deal in which women’s rights are embraced in words but not in reality. That’s all the more likely if Taliban leaders gain substantial political power and interpret Islamic law more severely than the current Afghan leadership.
The debate over the peace talks today somewhat echoes concerns voiced during President Barack Obama’s tenure as he, too, tried with little success to engage in negotiations with the Taliban and get the U.S. out of Afghanistan.the issue of women’s rights, casting America’s primary geostrategic interest in the country as one of security and stability, not human rights.
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