Five years after the Taliban returned to power, Afghanistan presents the world with an uncomfortable fact: a regime can be deeply repressive and still prove remarkably durable. The question for democracies is no longer how to restore the order that collapsed in 2021, but how to deal with the order that replaced it. The Taliban have consolidated their control. The fighting that once devastated much of the country has largely stopped, and the government in Kabul faces no credible military challenge.

But stability has come at a terrible price. Women have been pushed out of workplaces and public life, girls are denied education beyond primary school, and restrictions on movement and personal freedom have intensified. Afghanistan remains desperately poor, with millions dependent on humanitarian assistance. This creates a dilemma that cannot be resolved by either moral outrage or diplomatic convenience. Punishing the Taliban through isolation has not persuaded them to change. Nor is there evidence that withholding recognition has weakened their grip on power. Meanwhile, declining foreign aid risks making ordinary Afghans bear the cost of a policy intended to pressure their rulers. Yet........

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