BIDEN FACES A BIG POLICY DECISION: WILL THE UNITED STATES LEAVE AFGHANISTAN WITHOUT WOMEN AT THE TABLE OF THE PEACE PROCESS?
BY BRANKA ANDJELKOVIC AND HUMAYOON BABUR
As the United States contemplates withdrawal from Afghanistan, a wave of violence targeting women is on the rise. Many courageous Afghan women have paid the ultimate sacrifice while striving for a better future for their country. Abductions and targeted killings have stunted women’s ability to fully participate in Afghan society.
In early March, three Afghan women who worked at Enikas Radio and TV were shot and killed on their way home from work in the eastern city of Jalalabad. The Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) claimed responsibility for the murders. In January, unidentified gunmen assassinated two female supreme court judges in Kabul. According to Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, 65 women died and 95 were wounded in targeted killings in 2020.
The question of staying or leaving
The timing of the U.S. military withdrawal as planned on May 1 signals a moment of truth for Afghanistan, the United States, and its allies. In the decade since the U.S. raid on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011, its leaders have contemplated a complete withdrawal. To the U.S. Congress, bin Laden’s death symbolized the achievement of a major objective in the war in Afghanistan in the minds of many Americans.
At the time, minimum sustainable governance and political requirements for basic Afghan sovereignty were not fully formed. Ten years later, modest, incremental progress has been made toward a democratic society. The progress stands to be lost without security and protection of Afghan civilian populations, especially women and children. Without justice and security, Afghanistan will struggle to generate and sustain durable peace, limiting its future economic and social development.
Justice delayed is justice denied
In the absence of justice for the victims of conflict and terrorism, the conflict-ravaged nation risks regressing into the vicious cycle that led to the rise of Taliban leadership in 1994, and ultimately to the September 11, 2001, attack that prompted George W. Bush to authorize the use of force to combat terrorism, paving the way for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The fateful decision became the United States’ longest war.
If the past is any indicator of present circumstances, a brief look back at the history of major events provides insights into patterns of progress, followed by rapid deterioration of security when support is withdrawn. Complex factors including setbacks in governance and a lack of international forces to assist with security have led to a resurgence in violence.
Violence targeting Afghan women restricts progress and peace
Since launching the peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government, the Taliban is projecting itself as a more moderate party, pledging to grant women their rights and allow them to work and go to school “in a way that neither their legitimate rights are violated nor their human dignity and Afghan values are threatened.” Read the Taliban statement.
Relief workers have said that Afghan women are being cut off and excluded from crucial aid as the result of a growing Taliban crackdown in areas controlled by the group. “So far the hypothesis is that the Taliban have changed, but this is really a concrete example that they haven’t,” one aid worker who did not want to be named told AFP.
“[In Afghanistan] women have been victims of countless sorts of violence. They are ready to take steps to get equality and equal rights in politics, economic and cultural spheres,” said Sonia Azatyar, a resident of Kabul. “And, importantly, as women are the real architects of society, they have to achieve their equal rights and justice.”
In the wake of increasing violence against journalists in Afghanistan, and women in particular, one thing is certain: without justice, there will be no peace.
“I am not saying everyone has to go to jail but a crime is a crime,” said Sima Samar, a prominent Afghan activist, quoted by the Associated Press. “They should be at least brave enough to say, ‘I am sorry.’ That’s a start.”
Without justice for women and journalists, the ceasefire process is doomed. If the Afghan government’s armed opponents, including the Taliban and IS-K, can successfully block women’s involvement in the peace process by murdering them in the streets while the world watches, there will be no comprehensive stability.
A history of overpromising and under-delivering
The Afghan government and international actors including NATO pledged to ensure women’s representation in the peace process at the 2016 Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, but as recently as September 2020, no women were part of the Taliban’s 21-member team at the intra-Afghan talks. Understanding the role women play is essential for effective policy and future development partnerships and programs.
In early March, the Biden administration released an eight-page draft of a peace plan roadmap including a list of 14 guiding principles of Afghanistan’s future. The fourth principle states that the future constitution will guarantee the protection of women’s’ rights and the rights of children in political, social, economic, educational, and cultural affairs.
Progress on the Afghan peace process has proven elusive over the years and it is no coincidence that high rates of violence against Afghan women coincide with ineffective transitions. Without a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire, the mission will be a failure.
Ned Price, State Department spokesperson, held a press conference in Washington, D.C., on March 8 and shared that U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad visited Islamabad and met with Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa and Pakistani officials. According to Price, Ambassador Khalilzad’s trip signifies an extension of American diplomacy and Pakistan’s continued commitment to the peace process.
“We understand that this process at its core must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned,” Price said. “It is ultimately the right and responsibility of Afghans to determine their political future.”
Trying to create a prosperous and peaceful future in a world without women’s full participation is a fool’s errand.
The U.S. foreign policy position is a reminder of the stark challenges women around the world face to attain true equality in their societies.
“Afghan women and girls will have to confront those challenges themselves,” said Fatima Ayub, an independent political analyst in Washington, D.C. Ayub formerly worked for Human Rights Watch and International Crisis Group in Afghanistan and Jordan.
“The Afghan government is failing in its responsibilities to offer justice, healthcare, education, or equal opportunities for women and girls,” she said, adding that the other side, the Taliban, are no better. “It will take several more generations of work and activism to ensure that Afghan women and men can both live safely, freely, and equally.”
At a virtual ceremony for the International Women of Courage Award held by the U.S. State Department on International Women’s Day, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden emphasized the global connection to freedom, saying, “Freedom for women in Afghanistan strengthens communities everywhere.” Seven Afghan women were recognized, receiving posthumous honors. “Some of these women have spent their lives fighting for their cause. Others are just starting out on a journey they didn’t ask for,” Biden said.
Realistic expectations
The Afghanistan peace plan promises to ensure the protection of women’s rights and freedom of speech along with other civil liberties. Whether the United States stays or goes, Afghanistan will continue to need the support and resources of allies to prevent economic and political collapse. The Biden administration has a duty to protect the American people, and to challenge systems of oppression that generate targeted violence and harassment, with restricted access to justice and support.
If the atrocities in Afghanistan over the past 20 years have taught us anything, it is this: trying to create a prosperous and peaceful future in a world without women’s full participation is a fool’s errand.
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Branka Andjelkovic is a Pacific Council member, a senior consultant at the UN Development Programme, FCG, and SIPU International, and an international development professional.
Humayoon Babur is a fellow at the Missouri School of Journalism who works for Pasbanan Media Group in Kabul and has written about a wide variety of topics in Afghanistan, from combat and car bombs to corruption and the effectiveness of foreign aid.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.
