Experts in Herat Say Taliban’s Economy-Focused Foreign Policy Fails to Improve Livelihoods
A group of researchers, university professors, and political analysts in Herat province say that despite some diplomatic movements, the Taliban administration’s economy-focused foreign policy has failed to improve the livelihoods of the people, economic growth, or reduce unemployment. They believe the gap between diplomatic slogans and the reality of citizens’ lives remains significant.
These views were expressed during a scientific seminar held at the office of the Taliban Foreign Ministry in Herat. Participants emphasized that the lack of international recognition is the biggest obstacle to the effectiveness of the current foreign policy and that achieving this goal appears difficult without serious reforms in the internal structures and governance methods of the country.
Some participants pointed to developments over the past year, noting that the Taliban administration has managed to expand its relations with several regional and global countries, but these relations have yet to translate into concrete economic achievements for the ordinary people. They stressed that foreign policy gains meaning only when its direct consequences are seen in employment, investment, and public welfare.
At the meeting, Rahmatullah Faizan, Deputy of the Taliban Foreign Ministry office in Herat, stated that the administration’s foreign policy is balanced and economy-oriented, aiming to establish economic relations with all countries, particularly neighbors and regional states.
Mohammad Rafiq Shaheer, Head of the Herat Council of Elders, added that the economy-focused policy should lead to simultaneous progress across all sectors. He cited the TAPI project as an example, which he said has advanced despite the current security situation and structural challenges.
Officials of the Foreign Ministry office in Herat reported that the Taliban foreign minister traveled to seven countries last year, and around 40 diplomatic missions have resumed operations outside the country; they view this as a sign of foreign policy success.
The seminar was held to review a one-year record of the Taliban administration’s foreign policy—a record that, according to many independent experts, has yet to meet the urgent economic needs of the Afghan people and where the gap to genuinely improving citizens’ living conditions persists.
