“Senior Taliban officials and United States representatives have discussed ‘opening a new page’ in their countries’ relationship as they kicked off talks in Qatar, according to a top Afghan diplomat. The in-person meetings that began in Doha on Saturday are the first since US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August – ending a 20-year military presence – and the Taliban’s rise to power,” reports Al Jazeera.

“Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, said the focus of the Afghan delegation was humanitarian aid, as well the implementation of the agreement the Taliban signed with Washington last year which paved the way for the final US withdrawal. The minister said the Afghan delegation had asked the US to lift its ban on the reserves of Afghanistan’s central bank. He added that the US would offer Afghan people vaccines against COVID-19.”

“Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Doha, said that the Taliban delegation is in the Qatari capital with the hopes of dealing with the hardships of governing, mounting security issues and economic woes. ‘The acting foreign minister says Afghanistan is looking to the international community to help solve its financial woes. You are looking at a country that is heavily dependent on international aid with an evolving humanitarian crisis on the ground,’ she said. ‘It is asking the US to lift economic restrictions, unfreeze its assets or lift restrictions at the Afghan national bank. It says it needs to be able to pay its employees and be able to provide services to the Afghan people.’”

“A spokesperson of the Department of State said on Friday evening that the talks were not about recognising or legitimising the Taliban as Afghanistan’s leaders, but are a continuation of pragmatic talks on issues of national interest for the US. He said the priority was the continued safe departure of Afghans, US citizens and other foreign nationals from Afghanistan, adding that another goal was to urge the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and form an inclusive government with broad support.”

The Republican Party in the United States will no doubt be outraged that the Biden Administration appears to be engaged in efforts to promote the economic modernization of Afghanistan. Historically, economic advancement is typically associated with a decline in religious extremism, and increased recognition of women’s rights. Political pragmatists widely expect that the GOP will do everything in their power to sabotage US/Taliban talks, and try to recreate a state of perpetual war in the Middle East.