How Does Biden Handle Afghanistan’s Closed Banks/Plummeting Currency?

By Natanael Ginting @Shutterstock

At foreignpolicy.com, Audrey Wilson reports that Afghanistan is facing a potential humanitarian and economic crisis. She writes (abridged):

G-7 meeting. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for a virtual meeting of the G-7 countries—the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Canada—on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, including how to secure safe evacuations and avoid a humanitarian crisis. Johnson is expected to urge the other leaders to consider new sanctions against the Taliban if they commit human rights abuses.

Ticking clock. Meanwhile, Afghanistan faces a quickly deepening economic crisis, with financial hardships increasingly affecting those in Kabul and other cities. Banks remain closed, food prices are rising, and the value of the local currency has plummeted. The suspension of commercial flights to Kabul’s international airport has in some ways exacerbated the crisis, halting the flow of some medical supplies and aid.