As the developing geopolitical situation remains uncertain, one constant is the suffering of the Afghan people. The United Nations calls it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with half of the Afghan population facing acute hunger and 97 percent of households expected to fall below the poverty line. While the international community is pleading for humanitarian aid, the United States, true to form, refuses to unfreeze over $9 billion of Afghan assets held in U.S. banks since the Taliban took over and is blocking the disbursement of $450 million in humanitarian aid allocated by the International Monetary Fund.

While the Taliban has won Afghanistan’s independence from imperialist occupation, the United States continues to exert its influence to block any partnership between Afghanistan and China through the Belt and Road Initiative. But U.S. hegemony is waning.  

China, for example, mocked the Pentagon’s “investigation” absolving the U.S. Air Force of wrongdoing when it killed 10 civilians, including seven children, in a drone bombing last month, and has called on the United Nations to investigate the United States for war crimes committed during the 20-year U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. Iran, for its part, has directly accused the United States of supporting ISIS-K terror bombings in Shiite mosques in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the regional powers (including China, Russia and Pakistan) continue to develop relationships with the Taliban government in pursuit of their own geopolitical interests, which involve a region that is economically connected and strategically aligned around achieving long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan, free from U.S. meddling. Whether they will succeed, remains to be seen.

$667 million funding call to help Afghans through economic crisis
October 21, 2021 by UN News
Afghanistan’s economy is imploding, with all but three per cent of households expected to fall below the poverty line in coming months, the UN said on Thursday.

Afghanistan on ‘countdown to catastrophe’ without urgent humanitarian relief 
October 25, 2021 by UN News
The combined shocks of drought, conflict, COVID-19 and an economic crisis in Afghanistan, have left more than half the population facing a record level of acute hunger, according to a new UN assessment published on Monday.  

Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-30: Taliban Government gains traction
October 26, 2021 by M.K. Bhadrakumar for Indian Punchline
All indications are that the regional states are preparing to accord recognition to the Taliban government.

Afghan chess pieces moving fast and furious
October 28, 2021 by Pepe Escobar for Asia Times
Iran leader Raisi claims Shiite mosque bombings in Afghan cities backed by US while China establishes a military base in next door Tajikistan.

Lavrov: US Trying to Set Up Bases Near Afghanistan
November 2, 2021 by TOLOnews
The United States is continuing its efforts to deploy military bases in a country neighboring Afghanistan, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian Television (RT) in an interview.

Blinken: Ghani Ruined Opportunity to Form Inclusive Govt
November 2, 2021 by Madina Morwat for TOLOnews
US Secretary Antony Blinken said that the US had pressed President Ghani to get ready for the plan to transfer power to a new government that would have been led by the Taliban.

Afghan kids struggle in an ill-equipped US shelter
November 3, 2021 by Melissa Sanchez for Asia Times
Some have hurt themselves, harmed other children or threatened staff while others have tried to escape.

Taliban bans foreign currencies in Afghanistan amid financial catastrophe
November 3, 2021 by RT
The use of foreign currencies has been completely banned in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, citing national interests and current economic conditions as major reasons for the sudden move

Users ‘nostalgic for old-school’ heroin, Vice says, prompting questions about CIA
November 4, 2021 by RT
Heroin is almost impossible to get in North America, where it has been virtually replaced by fentanyl, Vice News says – leading some sarcastic commenters to wonder if this means the CIA will ask Congress for more money for coups.

ISIS-K is taking over Afghanistan. The US is to blame
November 4, 2021 by Scott Ritter for RT
The US failed to ensure stability in Afghanistan from 2001 through 2014. Instead, it promulgated policies that not only strengthened the Taliban, but also created pockets of ungovernable space that were then taken over by ISIS-K.

Killing civilians? Fine, if you’re the US
November 5, 2021 by Tom Fowdy for RT
The hypocrisy of the American-led ‘international order’ has been laid bare again after a report into a US drone strike that caused the deaths of Afghan civilians essentially found no one was to blame – and no one will be punished.

China Reacts to Pentagon's Findings on Kabul Drone Strike
November 5, 2021 by TOLOnews
“Afghan lives matter” said Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign minister. “We urge the US side to respect the lives and human rights of the Afghan people, disclose the truth of the incident to the public, bring perpetrators to justice and offer compensations to the family members of the victims.”

How the U.S. Lost the “Great Game” in Central Asia
November 8, 2021 by Aidan O’Brien for Covert Action Magazine
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the U.S. power elite saw an opportunity to take over the oil-rich region considered key to world domination. The consequences were horrendous for the people, who have now begun to mobilize—with support from China and Russia—against the U.S. empire.

Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-33: US recognition of Taliban Government will be a game changer
November 10, 2021 by M.K. Bhadrakumar for Indian Punchline
The stunning disclosure late Tuesday in Brussels that the US is working on a “road map” for according recognition to the Taliban Government will take a lot of people by surprise but it could have been expected sooner rather than later. 

Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-34: Central Asia hooking up to CPEC
November 13, 2021 by M.K. Bhadrakumar for Indian Punchline
Two events in the past fortnight indicated growing optimism about Afghanistan’s future. Both developments signify that the scaffolding for improved regional connectivity, economic development, and governance is coming up, largely unreported. 

Taliban hold military parade with U.S.-made weapons in Kabul in show of strength
November 14, 2021 by Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam for Reuters
Taliban forces held a military parade in Kabul on Sunday using captured American-made armoured vehicles and Russian helicopters in a display that showed their ongoing transformation from an insurgent force to a regular standing army.

Afghans as starving pawns in big power games
November 15, 2021 by Salman Rafi Sheikh for Asia Times
Aid is withheld to put geopolitical pressure on Taliban but the militant outfit says hunger is the price of driving out Western invaders.

Russian Official Says Afghan Crisis May Lead to Civil War
November 18, 2021 by Madina Morwat for TOLOnews
On Thursday, three Russian aircraft loaded with 36 tons of humanitarian assistance landed in Kabul.

Banner photo: Afghan security forces at a lone outpost in Kandahar, on the edge of the Panjwai District in Afghanistan, Jan. 30, 2021 (Jim Huylebroek/The New York Times)