After nearly 20 years of presence in Afghanistan, the United States has now decided to withdraw all its troops from the country by September 2021. After the official announcement of troop withdrawal by Joe Biden, the President of the United States of America, NATO member states also announced the withdrawal of their forces from Afghanistan. In the past 20 years, Afghanistan has undoubtedly pursued the current path with the support of the international community, especially the United States.
During this period, a deep political, security, and legal relations have been established between the two countries. At least two security and strategic agreements have been signed between the United States and Afghanistan outlines the strategic depth of relations between the two countries.
Now the question is what will be the fate of these two treaties as well as the fate of the relations between the two countries?
It no longer doesn’t matter what the text of the US-Afghanistan Security Agreement and Strategic Pact are or what obligations and rights they impose on both countries.
The United States has now invalidated all past relations and agreements with Afghanistan with unilateral decisions on peace with the Taliban and the signing of an agreement with the group instead of the Afghan government, and with the decision to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan.
The security agreement signed between the United States and Afghanistan in Kabul after President Ghani came to power in 2014, contained two key points that formed the basis of relations between the two countries; Respect for Afghanistan’s national sovereignty and defending the country against foreign threats.
Violating these two commitments and considering the recent unilateral decisions by the US, it is necessary for Afghanistan to review its relations with the US.
During the last two years, while negotiating with the Taliban, the US government has ignored all the political rules by keeping the Afghanistan government in the margins.
During this period, the United States, contrary to all international standards and contrary to the spirit of the agreements between the two countries, has signed a peace agreement with the Taliban as a terrorist group that has no legitimacy in the Afghan political system.
This group even threatens the existence of the Afghan government. During this period, the legitimate government of Afghanistan was marginalized throughout the negotiation process, and in the text of the Doha Agreement, the Islamic Emirate was recognized, albeit implicitly, in the face of the existing political system. The move turned the Taliban, which continues to carry out bombings and impose violence against the Afghan people, into a political group claiming to rule Afghanistan.
With the signing of the US and Taliban peace agreement, including the secret annexations, the very existence of Afghanistan’s political system appears to be in jeopardy. This danger is not limited to the ongoing peace and negotiations and the disregard of the Afghan constitution. Rather, a serious effort by the Taliban, with the support of pro-group countries, is now underway to seize parts of the country. There are serious security reports that the Taliban, with the support of some neighboring countries, has taken new military decisions and intend to launch a full-scale war against the Afghan security forces.
The escalation of war and violence by the Taliban during the negotiation process indicates a serious threat to Afghanistan’s security beyond the country’s borders. While the security agreement between the two countries stipulated that in such cases the United States should support the Afghan security forces, now this support is practically annulled.
In any case, with the US decision to withdraw completely from Afghanistan and neglecting all legal obligations between the two countries, it is time to establish new legal frameworks between the two countries.
Afghanistan should no longer abide by the US agenda, especially in the peace process. Afghanistan should not unilaterally implement obligations with no legal frameworks. Therefore, relations with the United States require a serious review in the legal, political and strategic frameworks.