Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, the international community has struggled to form a coherent approach to the Taliban, particularly as Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis has worsened. As countries have tiptoed around engagement, politicians, analysts, and Afghans have asked: Should the West engage the regime at all? And if so, how?

In this edition of Flash Points, we explore the complexities of this debate as it pertains to international aid, Afghanistan’s foreign reserves, and, perhaps most controversially, diplomatic recognition.—Chloe Hadavas

A Nobel Nominee’s Controversial Call for Engagement With the Taliban

Mahbouba Seraj, a rights activist and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, says there’s no choice now but to talk to Afghanistan’s new rulers, FP’s Lynne O’Donnell writes.

To Help Afghanistan, Engage Its Political Opposition

The Taliban’s rule isn’t inevitable or forever, Richard Fontaine and Lisa Curtis write.

Don’t Release Foreign Reserves to the Taliban

Unfreezing billions of dollars while huge revenues flow to Kabul risks legitimizing an extremist regime, Sarajuddin Isar writes.

How Afghanistan’s Money Exchangers Have Worked Around the Taliban

They are, increasingly, the only financial link that connects the country to the rest of the world, Nafay Choudhury writes.

The Taliban Are Losing Some of Their Cash Cows

The U.S. and U.N. are halting aid as the Taliban ratchet up their atrocities, FP’s Lynne O’Donnell writes.