The Taliban has dominated all of Afghanistan as a result of its struggle against foreign powers, especially the United States (USA). The government proclaimed by the Taliban is not recognized by any state and international organizations. In fact, the United States signed the Doha Treaty with the Taliban and again turned a blind eye to the Taliban rule over Afghanistan. However, the Washington administration did not recognize the Taliban and blocked its reserves in the country’s banks and international financial institutions. The reduction of foreign aid to this country due to the blocking of Afghanistan’s national reserves has plunged Afghanistan into an economic crisis, which has led to a humanitarian crisis.
Over the past 20 years, many countries, especially the United States, have provided assistance to Afghanistan. The Government of Afghanistan has kept some of its aid money as a reserve in the United States and international financial institutions for bad days. As a matter of fact, it is known that Afghanistan had reserves of 9.6 billion dollars, including foreign currency, gold and valuable securities, before the Ashraf Ghani administration was overthrown. Of this, $ 7 billion is held in the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York, and the rest in Swiss banks and international financial institutions. Of this money, $ 2.5 billion belongs to the private sector of Afghanistan and $ 7 billion to the state.
The neighbors of China, Russia and Afghanistan, especially the Taliban, are demanding the release of Afghanistan’s reserves in order to keep the country’s economy afloat and prevent a humanitarian crisis. The United States did not heed these demands and asked the organization to take serious steps in accordance with the wishes of the international community in its negotiations with the Taliban. In addition, the Washington administration has also announced that Afghanistan’s reserves will not be released until the wishes of the international community are met. Recently, it has been observed that the United States is pursuing a “melting pot policy” towards Afghanistan’s national reserves. As a matter of fact, US President Joe Biden announced that $3.5 billion from Afghanistan’s reserves would be provided to the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as compensation and that $3.5 billion would be distributed to the Afghan people as humanitarian aid in a decision he made. The approval of the US Federal Court was also required to implement the decision taken. The planned $ 3.5 billion in humanitarian aid will first be transferred to a humanitarian fund and then distributed to the people of Afghanistan through international organizations.
The decision of the Washington administration regarding Afghanistan’s reserves caused the reaction of the Afghan people, politicians, and the Taliban. It should be noted that there are also states and international organizations that support this reaction. In a statement issued on the subject, the Taliban stated that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had nothing to do with Afghanistan. In addition to that, it was stated in the statement that if the Washington administration does not change its decision on this issue, the Taliban’s policy towards the United States will be reviewed.[1]
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also said that the Afghan people are victims of terrorism, no one should punish victims, and that Osama bin Laden, the leader of terror organization al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan. Therefore, Karzai reacted to Biden’s decision by stating that the Afghan people should not pay the price of the attacks.[2] The people of Afghanistan organized protests in many cities of the country and emphasized that the USA should pay compensation for the 20-year occupation instead of seizing Afghanistan’s reserves.
Human Rights Watch called for the Afghan people not to be punished by citing the Taliban as the reason, claiming that Biden was trying to seize Afghanistan’s assets.[3] Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized in a statement on his social media account, “The world’s richest country plundering the wealth of the world’s poorest people visibly”.[4] Also, Maria Zaharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accused the Washington administration of deepening the humanitarian crisis in the country.
There are various reasons for this policy of the USA. First, this decision reveals that the USA and the Taliban cannot agree. In addition, this policy shows that the Biden administration is trying to drag Afghanistan into an economic crisis and provoke the Afghan people against the Taliban. Because the Taliban have to rule Afghanistan and find a solution to the economic and humanitarian crisis in the country. The top executives of the movement point to the USA as responsible for the economic and humanitarian crisis due to the blocking of the country’s reserves.
The second aim of the USA is to want to completely collapse the economy of the country, leaving the Afghan currency vulnerable. In economic terms, the reserves of a state are the most important mechanism that keeps the economic system of that country alive. Therefore, the USA is trying to increase the inflation in the country in question by distributing half of Afghanistan’s reserves. Because under current conditions, it is not easy for the Taliban to replace the money that will be melted. In such a situation, it is difficult for Afghanistan’s economy to survive based on foreign aid and imports.
Moreover, while calling on the international community of the USA to help the Afghan people; the seizure of Afghan people’s money points to a serious paradox. It can be said that the USA is in the psychology of defeat and is trying to take revenge on the Afghan people by using the Taliban as an excuse. But it should be noted that this decision once again showed that Washington is unreliable. Because the USA; when talking about human rights, justice, and liberal values; seizes the money of an oppressed nation.
Ultimately, it should be emphasized that Biden’s action did not provoke the public against the Taliban, as the US President expected. On the contrary, during the second Taliban era, for the first time, most of the Afghan society developed a common reaction. Therefore, this decision took place as a development that would strengthen the relationship between the Taliban and the people contrary to the expectations of the American decision-makers. As a result, what has happened is a result of the deficiencies in international law. Because there is no mechanism in the international system that will deter the USA from its wrong decision. .
[1] “هشدار طالبان به امریکا: اگر از تصمیم خود منصرف نشوید، سیاست خود درباره امریکا را بازنگری میکنیم”, Sputnik, https://l24.im/PHB, (Date of Accession: 14.02.2022).
[2] “واکنش کرزی به فرمان بایدن: مردم افغانستان قربانی تروریزماند، کسی قربانی را جزا نمیدهد”, Afganistan Internitonal, https://www.afintl.com/202202138017, (Date of Accession: 14.02.2022).
[3] “دیدهبان حقوق بشر: جو بایدن به دنبال تصاحب داراییهای افغانستان است”, Haşti Subah, https://8am.af/human-rights-watch-biden-seeks-to-seize-afghan-assets/, (Date of Accession: 14.02.2022).
[4] “سخنگوی وزارت خارجه چین: ثروتمندترین کشور جهان به طور آشکار ثروت فقیرترین ها را غارت می کند”, Sputnik, https://l24.im/fh71Y9, (Date of Accession: 14.02.2022).
