When diplomacy is more harmful to human rights than conflict: the effects of America's deal with the Taliban

ABSTRACT The US-Taliban deal of February 2020 preceded the violent return to power of the Taliban and the concomitant deterioration of human rights and development gains in Afghanistan. In this article, the author contends that the worsening situation in Afghanistan is largely the logical and inevitable consequence of this deal. The author, who is a former Afghan official involved in efforts during the negotiation and implementation of the deal, draws on his observations to argue that by excluding the preservation of human rights and development gains, the deal made it practically more difficult for the then-government of Afghanistan and its international partners to protect the fundamental rights of the people of Afghanistan. The lesson from the US-Taliban deal is that unless human rights priorities are embedded in peace diplomacy efforts, they could lead to adverse outcomes for millions of people.