In the News: What to do with the Taliban in Afghanistan?
Audio 04:50
Taliban fighters buy Taliban flags in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, August 30, 2021 © AP / Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi
By: Mehdi Meddeb
9 mins
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The Washington Post
tells us that on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Anthony Blinken had talks with high-ranking diplomats from China, France and Pakistan. But "
no consensus
" emerges "
on how and when to fully resume vital financial assistance to the country while it is sinking more and more into the economic crisis
", continues the American newspaper. "
China calls for an end to sanctions
" and "
the Taliban's access to billions of dollars in frozen foreign exchange reserves
" by the Americans, adds
The Financial Times
. The economic newspaper quotes the Chinese Foreign Ministry. No, "
these funds should not be used as a bargaining chip to put pressure on Afghanistan
”as“
signs of an acute economic crisis multiply
”warns
The Washington Post
.
And "
to avoid disaster
", the American Treasury has already opened a breach, adds the American daily, "
issuing a license
" (an exceptional authorization) "
for American humanitarian aid to continue
". Blinken faced with a dilemma. "
Fears about Beijing's growing influence have intensified following the US withdrawal
," said the
Financial Times
. And internally, "members
of the US government are urging the Biden administration to engage more [with the Taliban] to put pressure on their policies,
" the
Washington Post understands.
.
And Blinken's procrastination before the US Congress shows that he "
prepares the ground for recognition of the Afghan government
", analyzes
The Wire
, an independent Indian site.
The stake of influence on Afghanistan
"
Deep in the basements of one of the world's poorest countries lie at least $ 1 trillion in untapped mineral resources
." On the front page of its site, al-Jazeera, owned by Qatar, godfather of the Taliban, the Qatari media returns in length, maps in support, on the potential wealth of Afghanistan, citing a report from the ministry Afghan Mines which dates from two years ago. Iron, marble - "
enough to build
13,000 monuments of Washington
" - insists al-Jazeera. Gold, lapis lazuli, emeralds, uranium, cobalt ... Enough to whet the appetites of the great powers. And these Taliban 2.0, this "
new generation of Taliban
" thus presented by
Die Welt
, "
they use social media to convey a different image
”.
For the German newspaper which describes their strategy on Twitter, “
they present themselves to the world as modern, moderate and statesmen. They therefore want to win the favor of the population and abroad
”. But they also use social media to "
persecute those who think differently
." It is "
a bunch of treacherous and vicious thugs and that its Emirate 2.0 is only a renewal of its Emirate 1.0
", judges the very informed
The Wire
. Before launching "
in a little over a month, they crushed any dissent fired [...] and prohibited any demonstration [...] tortured journalists [...] expelled and displaced families [...] ] banned women from schools, sports
", Echoes this Pakistani-American columnist, and while"
executions and amputations will resume in Afghan prisons
, "announces a Taliban veteran to the AP agency.
Information included in major newspapers around the world.
The Quad in troubled waters alliance
"
Biden brings together Japan, Australia and India to stand up to China,
" warns the CNN site. This first meeting of the "
quadrilateral security dialogue [...] relaunched in 2017 [...] after a nine-year
hiatus," says the
Financial Times
, comes at a time when "
increasingly aggressive foreign policy China has increased security concerns in Japan, India and Australia
”. Except that Aukus, unveiled last week, has reshuffled the cards of this Quad. On the eve of the meeting, the Prime Ministers of India and Japan met, according to
The Statesman
.
The two leaders insist on non-military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific zone, notes the Indian newspaper. “
Biden needs India to counter China, but it comes at a cost,
”
Politico
notes
. In a fascinating article, the American site recounts the silence of the American administration on the human rights violations of the nationalist Narendra Modi and his ultra radical lieutenants, explaining that "this
alliance is problematic for President Biden
". The Quad, "
an Asian prototype of NATO
", judges
Kommersant
, taking again the elements of language of Moscow. Russian newspaper claims Quad is "
new security architecture"
which aims to strengthen Washington's control over Asia
”
”.
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