After the U.S.-led coalition, in which the EU was a significant partner, withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, the country entered another political vacuum. The currently fragile state of affairs in Afghanistan is likely to drive the country to another crisis, which will have negative consequences for the region and beyond.
In his article for The Diplomat, IFSH Researcher Rahimullah Kakar analyses that the European Union that played a significant role over the last two decades in the reconstruction of Afghanistan has the capability to take a proactive diplomatic and political stance in managing the impending preventable socioeconomic and politico-security crises. Kakar states that to prevent impending security threats to the region and beyond, the EU should act earlier and pursue the European Union Global Strategy’s “integrated approach to conflicts and crises” that include pursuing multidimensional, multi-phased, and multilateral approach to the conflict.
Rahimullah Kakar concludes that the EU had the capability to facilitate the establishment of a regional consensus and can play a constructive role in supporting initiatives for a constructive solution that would lead to an inclusive, democratic, and representative political set-up in Afghanistan.