Wars are raging all over the world and are fought with the most technologically sophisticated weapons. Modern man sends drones (machines) to kill for him other men, women, and children, and to destroy. Killing has become a “normal” thing, without any humanity or compassion for the victims. No condemnation. The “civilized” world is silent.

How has modern so-called “civilized humanity” allowed so many wars and conflicts to happen, and none of them has been able to stop them? It is obvious that we live in a time of dangerous escalations, and it seems that there is no readiness on the part of the international community to stop these conflicts.

Several countries are currently experiencing significant conflict and instability—often referred to as “war-torn” countries. Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Libya, the D.R. of Congo, and Haiti have been grappling with prolonged conflicts. There are more than 45 armed conflicts, most of them in the Middle East and North Africa. Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Palestine, Ukraine, and Yemen are among the most severely affected, with ongoing violence, displacement, and food insecurity.

According to the Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Geneva, some of today’s armed conflicts started recently, while others have lasted for more than 50 years, provoking the worst humanitarian crises, with millions of people facing acute hunger and the highest estimated casualties. Global war statistics reveal a diversity of conflicts—from Myanmar’s long-standing civil war to the ongoing drug war in Mexico, and the most current Israel-Iran conflict—each with unique causes and consequences. Iraq has a long history of war, particularly since 1979.

Asia is the theatre of 19 non-international armed conflicts involving armed groups. These are happening in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Two international armed conflicts—between India and Pakistan, and between India and China—are also taking place in the region. In Latin America, six non-international armed conflicts are taking place in the region, split between Colombia and Mexico, involving gangs and drug cartels.

The Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts exemplify the complexities of modern warfare and the significant civilian impact. The United States’ unmatched defense budget, advanced technology, and global presence ensure its dominance across all domains of warfare. The U.S. is currently involved in the Yemen civil war, the Somali civil war, the Syrian civil war, the Middle Eastern crisis (the Israeli-Palestine conflict), and a proxy war in Ukraine.

Every day, the media regularly reports on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but there are almost no reports on other ongoing conflicts. It seems the world has forgotten about war-torn Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and others. Armed conflicts have important direct negative consequences on infrastructure, public health, and social order. Effects of war include mass destruction of cities and long-lasting damage to a country’s economy.

Countries subject to prolonged conflict can become war-torn nations that require many decades to rebuild their infrastructure, economy, and other functions. One of those countries is Afghanistan, which has experienced decades of wars and foreign occupation, including the Soviet invasion in the 1980s, the subsequent civil war, and the U.S.-led intervention following the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban’s rise to power in the 1990s and their subsequent ousting in 2001 were followed by a 20-year war with the U.S. and its allies.

Ariana (Aryana), the earliest name of Afghanistan, indicates an early link with today’s Iranian tribes to the west, or adjacent regions in Central Asia. Afghanistan is a Central Asian country composed of many different ethnicities, none of which are Arabs. The largest ethnic groups are Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks, who make up approximately 95% of the population. Afghanistan has a long history of domination by foreign conquerors: Darius of Babylonia, Alexander the Great of Macedonia, Mahmud of Ghazni (the greatest of Afghanistan’s conquerors), and Genghis Khan.

By 1870, after the area had been invaded by various Arab conquerors, Islam had taken root. A series of British-Afghan wars occurred during the 19th century, and after 1921, Afghanistan became an independent nation. In 1926, it became a monarchy, and the new king, Zahir Shah, brought stability to the country. He ruled from 1933 for the next 40 years.

In 1956, Afghanistan and the Soviet Union became close allies. As part of Prime Minister pro-Soviet Gen. Daud Khan’s reforms, women were allowed to attend university and enter the workforce. In 1973, the last king was overthrown and the Republic of Afghanistan was established. In June 1978, the guerrilla movement Mujahideen was created to battle the Soviet-backed government and the Afghan army.

In 1984, Saudi Islamist Osama bin Laden made his first trip to Afghanistan to aid anti-Soviet fighters. In 1989, Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, the U.S., and Pakistan signed peace accords in Geneva, guaranteeing Afghan independence and the withdrawal of 100,000 Soviet troops. The newly formed Islamic militia, the Taliban, rose to power on promises of peace. Most Afghans, exhausted by years of war, drought, and famine, approved of the Taliban for upholding traditional Islamic values.

The Taliban, a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist and predominantly Pashtun movement, controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, President Bush signed into law a joint resolution authorizing the use of force against those responsible for attacking the United States. The resolution was cited by his administration as a legal rationale for its decision to combat terrorism and invade Afghanistan, and for standing up a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

In October 2001, U.S. and allied forces invaded the country and quickly ousted the Taliban regime following its refusal to hand over terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Following unanswered demands, British forces and American warplanes began bombing Taliban targets and bases reportedly belonging to the al-Qaeda network, officially launching Operation Enduring Freedom. Amid increasing violence, NATO took over security in Kabul.

The international coalition, led by the USA, invaded Afghanistan. At the height of the conflict, there were more than 130,000 NATO troops on the ground. The Taliban made significant territorial gains. In 2013, the Afghan army took over all military and security operations from NATO forces. In December 2014, NATO officially ended its combat mission in Afghanistan. U.S. troops withdrew from the country in August 2021, in what was widely viewed as an American shame and catastrophe.

Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than 120,000 Afghans who had collaborated with the U.S. were airlifted and relocated around the world, with about 76,000 arriving in the USA. Those remaining in the country under Taliban rule have witnessed the repression and regression of any gains in liberal democratic rights and freedoms. The UN has documented civilian casualties from 2009–2020, numbering more than 100,000, as the Taliban ramped up their military offensive amid the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani fled the country after the Taliban reached Kabul. The Taliban takeover in 2021 led to a complex situation with a mix of positive developments, such as some border security improvements and reduced opium production, and serious issues like the suppression of women’s rights and persistent threats from ISIS-K. The Taliban rapidly regained control of the country and the government.

Despite promises to respect human rights, the Taliban steadily reimposed their strict interpretation of sharia-based law on the country, enforcing harsh restrictions on women’s rights and reintroducing public flogging and executions. Some of the most severe restrictions on women and girls under the Taliban government include: no access to education beyond the sixth grade; women cannot hold most jobs or go to public spaces without a male companion; and women must wear hijab headscarves and head-to-toe outfits to cover their bodies.

The bans are part of a myriad of restrictions dictating every aspect of life for women and girls. Since schools are closed to girls, they turn to religious schools to study the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, and Arabic, with no option for higher education. Many in Afghanistan recognize the long-term impact of denying education to girls, and the consequences—for the girls and for Afghanistan—are catastrophic. The ban negatively impacts the health system, the economy, and the future of the nation.

The UN General Assembly is expressing deep concern over Afghanistan’s deteriorating humanitarian, economic, and human rights conditions, urging the Taliban to reverse repressive governance. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader and the head of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court on charges of persecuting women and girls, as well as others not conforming to the Taliban’s policy since seizing power nearly four years ago.

The Court said in a statement that the Taliban have severely deprived girls and women of the rights to education, privacy, family life, and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience, and religion. The Court recognized that Afghan women and girls—as well as the LGBTQI+ community—are facing unprecedented, unconscionable, and ongoing persecution by the Taliban.

Former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda got approval in 2020 to start looking at offenses allegedly committed by Afghan government forces, the Taliban, American troops, and U.S. foreign intelligence operatives dating back to 2002. Iran and Pakistan launched campaigns to expel foreigners, targeting mostly Afghans. At least 1.2 million Afghans were forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, says the UN. Pakistan will consider extending the deadline for 1.4 million Afghan refugees living legally in the country to return home.

Millions of Afghans have fled their homeland over the decades to escape war or poverty, and now they are facing deportation. Pakistan said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with Proof of Registration Cards and Afghan Citizen Cards. Pakistan’s expulsion campaign has drawn strong criticism from the UN and rights organizations.

Afghanistan is not equipped to absorb such high numbers of returnees, and local systems are on the verge of collapse, threatening access to essential services for returnees and host communities. The UN agency warned that repatriations on a massive scale have the potential to destabilize the fragile situation in Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch has accused authorities of arbitrarily detaining and forcibly deporting Afghans, many of whom face harassment under the Taliban.

Afghan families are being uprooted once again, arriving with scant belongings, exhausted, hungry, and scared about what awaits them in a country many of them have never even set foot in, said Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR representative in Kabul. The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Iran and Pakistan. Violations include torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security.

In Afghanistan, Gaza, Syria, and Yemen, families are forcibly displaced many times, their homes are bombed, many have lost their loved ones, and they have survived near-death experiences too many times. In all those war-torn countries, reports of security issues such as kidnapping, revenge crimes, and sexual violence are high, with women often the victims.

Today, the global spotlight has shifted elsewhere, yet millions of Afghans are facing a humanitarian crisis, a war-ravaged infrastructure, violence, displacement, and extreme hunger. The population is reliant on humanitarian aid to survive. Even before the Taliban’s return, a severe drought had withered crops and reduced groundwater levels. The United Nations and UNHCR are trying to relieve suffering in Afghanistan but lack sufficient funds, and continue monitoring the human rights situation.

The Afghan economy is on the brink of collapse, leaving millions at risk of extreme poverty or starvation. A major culprit: the U.S. decision to halt aid to the country and freeze billions in Afghan government funds. Afghan arrivals and Trump-era policies pose obstacles to resettling 125,000 refugees this year. The UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs said that normalizing relations between Afghanistan and the international community requires a clear and actionable roadmap.

Deputy Secretary Tom Fletcher warned that continued suspension of aid—particularly by the United States, the UN, and the World Food Programme—could endanger the lives of millions of Afghans. The continued suspension of foreign aid and the withdrawal of international assistance present a major obstacle to Afghanistan’s recovery.

The largely halted foreign aid has caused major disruptions to development projects and public services. Instability in Afghanistan, along with a loss of aid and donors due to anger over the Taliban harassing aid workers and banning women from working for the UN, has worsened the crisis. The European Commission has announced that it will provide €161 million in humanitarian aid to help the most vulnerable Afghans. The EU funding will provide food, healthcare, education, and other essential services.

International relations experts have said that if the Islamic Emirate takes steps against drug trafficking, enacts a new constitution, fulfills the Afghan people’s demands, and reopens schools, these will naturally create the conditions for official recognition—especially from Central Asian countries. Normalizing ties with Afghanistan needs a clear roadmap. Russia’s recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan appears to be a fully logical and reasonable step.

No other foreign government has to date formally recognized the Taliban government, and the UN envoy to Afghanistan has said that it is impossible as long as the Taliban maintains its restrictive laws on women and girls. The international community has a crucial role to play in supporting Afghanistan’s recovery. Afghanistan’s future depends on addressing immediate humanitarian needs, stabilizing the economy, and finding a path towards sustainable peace and development.

Foreign aid includes funds to empower women, supporting their inclusion in political, economic, and civil roles. Families forced to flee need to be protected. According to the International Monetary Fund, Afghanistan is experiencing a strong recovery. Emirati companies are investing. Traders are investing 1.4 billion Afghanis in the agriculture sector. FAO leads resilience efforts amid climate threats to Afghan agriculture, sustainable farming, and environmental preservation.