August 15 marks the second anniversary of the radical Taliban movement’s return to power in Afghanistan following the haphazard withdrawal of US forces.  The past two years have been filled with hardships, especially for Afghan women, as well as members of the country’s ethnic, religious and sexual minority groups. 

Instead of dwelling on the Taliban’s litany of abuses and broken promises to uphold basic rights over the past two years, participants in a panel discussion hosted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on August 15 highlighted sources of hope for the future. 

By any measure the present picture is grim in Afghanistan. Nine out of 10 families are experiencing hunger; girls older than 12 are prohibited from attending schools and the healthcare system is dysfunctional. Meanwhile, roughly half of the country’s 40 million population is under the age of 17. Yet, against this backdrop of despair, many Afghans are refusing to accept the status quo, and are clinging to modernization aspirations... 

Qadir Habib, the director of Radio Azadi, RFE/RL’s Pashto and Dari service, called attention to clandestine home-schooling initiatives. He added that Radio Azadi is broadcasting remote-learning educational content to Afghans. Some women who gained access to education during the almost two-decade-long US presence in Afghanistan are also intent on carrying out an “underground transfer of experience” to girls now cut off from educational opportunities. Many are “holding on to the hope … that things can change,” said Peymana Assad, a co-founder of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party Foreign Policy Group.

Panelists are under no illusions, however, that conditions are likely to improve in Afghanistan any time soon. The Russia-Ukraine war is distracting Western attention from Afghan-related issues, for one. Panelists also cited the fact that Taliban surveillance capabilities are much improved, boosting the movement’s ability to neutralize domestic opposition to its rule. And unlike during the movement’s first stint in power in the 1990s, a time when the opposition Northern Alliance controlled northern provinces, Taliban forces now can project power in all areas of Afghanistan.