Following The US Withdrawal, Afghans are Bracing for Further Conflict and Chaos
July 9, 2021, 2:26 am

Following The US Withdrawal, Afghans are Bracing for Further Conflict and Chaos

According to the We For News, the US military’s recent handover of the Bagram Air Base near Kabul to the Afghan government effectively marks the end of a 20-year war that has cost more than $2 trillion. With the Taliban, which had been removed from power by the 2001 US-led invasion, now poised to regain control, many in Afghanistan and the region are bracing for further conflict and chaos.

In this Big Picture, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer warns that the humanitarian consequences of the West’s withdrawal could be catastrophic. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt agrees, and argues that avoiding a new spiral of violence requires US President Joe Biden’s administration to ensure that any exit strategy includes a plan for the country.

Without such planning, warns Brahma Chellaney of the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, a full US military withdrawal will make America an accomplice of the Taliban and trigger a rebirth of global terror.

The problem with this and other sensible demands, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass pointed out last spring, is that the US weakened its leverage with the Taliban by its obvious desire to end its military presence.

But the Taliban may soon face obstacles of its own. In a 2019 commentary, Amin Saikal of the University of Western Australia doubted whether it would be able to control other armed opposition groups in Afghanistan or enlist the support of a cross-section of the country’s diverse population.

Likewise, Anne-Marie Slaughter of the think tank New America and Ashley Jackson of the Overseas Development Institute, also writing in 2019, argued that women’s rights, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, are essential to any serious efforts at conflict resolution.

In any case, Afghanistan is almost certainly facing more conflict than resolution in the coming months. As Jackson explains in a recent podcast, the lack of progress in intra-Afghan power-sharing talks reflects the government’s desire to hold onto power and the Taliban’s aim of establishing an Islamic emirate.

Faced with this prospect, notes former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev, Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors are wondering just how much it will cost them to maintain security after the US troops are gone.

Source: wefornews

Image source: wefornews

The dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with the ruling regime Boris Johnson Announces the Withdrawal of British Troops from Afghanistan

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.