If You Didn’t See Chaos in Kabul, Where Were You Looking?
AtlanticDec 24, 2022
The Facts
The UN Development Program Administrator, Achim Steiner, on Tuesday stated the organization is prepared to leave Afghanistan in May unless the Taliban lets local women work for the UN. Steiner noted that the course of action would be "heartbreaking."
UN officials have been urging the Afghan government to reverse an order made earlier this month, which banned local women from working for the UN and creates difficulties for the organization in interacting with Afghan women.
The Spin
Narrative A
The UN is doing all it can to aid the people of Afghanistan but the Taliban is continuously making the mission harder, seeking to force the organization to choose between staying to help the Afghan people and upholding its own principles. Any negative consequences emerging from this crisis will be the responsibility of the Taliban-appointed authorities.
Narrative B
It's certain that the situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating, but this crisis will only worsen if the UN decides to pull out of the country. The only way forward is to move beyond the International community's current reactive approach, and instead, restore an active diplomatic presence in the nation to negotiate with Taliban representatives and find solutions.
