We can't starve Afghanistan into democracy and shouldn't try

Children.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

Afghanistan is teetering on the edge of famine. There are several causes, including chronic drought and a bad harvest, but the main reason is the national economy has collapsed following U.S. military withdrawal.

The 20-year American occupation created a warped economic system totally dependent on foreign aid. When the Taliban took over, the Biden administration halted those cash flows, which accounted for about 40 percent of GDP and three-quarters of the government budget, and seized Afghanistan's currency reserves. Now, as The Washington Post reports, unemployment is high, inflation is rising, and millions of people are already going hungry. Hospitals are filled with malnourished babies — according to UNICEF, a million Afghan children could die this winter, a stunning proportion of a population of 39 million.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.