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Freshta Jalalzai

Freshta Jalalzai

The Diplomat

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After Devastating Earthquake, Afghanistan Is Still Caught in the Sanctions Trap 

Afghanistan’s post-quake humanitarian catastrophe is to a large extent the predictable outcome of sanctions that strangle the economy and cut off...

friday 20

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

Kabul Will Never Be the Same Again

24 years after the U.S. invasion, and four years after the Taliban’s triumphant return to power, the question lingers: Were the war’s many...

02.09.2025 30

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

The Last Actress of Kabul’s Theater Stage

Khala Nafeesa is one of the millions of once-thriving Afghan women now scrambling to survive within a heavily sanctioned country.

15.08.2025 10

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

Afghanistan Has a Lot at Stake in the Iran Conflict

From a massive refugee population to a major trade partner, Iran is of crucial importance to the Taliban regime. The U.S. should pay attention to the...

28.06.2025 6

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

Bridging the Gap: Karzai, the Taliban, and the US Dilemma in Afghanistan

Karzai’s influence is not just historical; it lies in his ability to mediate Afghanistan’s current power struggles. 

01.04.2025 10

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

The Taliban-US Deal 5 Years Ago Remade Afghanistan. Was It Worth the Cost?

A call from Helmand on February 29, 2020, underscored the shock and uncertainty felt in Afghanistan over the deal. 

04.03.2025 8

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

Cutting Aid to Afghanistan Is Collective Punishment. America Must Do Better.

The crisis unfolding in Afghanistan today is not just a repetition of history. It is an amplified version, with even fewer lifelines for an even...

15.02.2025 10

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

How 9/11 Changed – and Didn’t Change – Afghanistan

The terror attacks on September 11, 2001, seemingly changed the trajectory of Afghanistan’s history. But today, the country in many ways is back to...

11.09.2024 6

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

Outgoing EU Diplomat Raffaella Iodice Reflects on Her Time in Afghanistan 

Iodice stood by the girls and women of Afghanistan when nearly everyone else had left, a commitment that deeply resonated with many in the war-torn...

28.08.2024 3

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

3 Afghans Face Different Fates After the Taliban Takeover

For some, Taliban rule means a life in hiding. For others, it brought a long-awaited homecoming. Still others are just hoping for a lasting peace.

15.08.2024 1

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai

The Killing of Dawa Khan Menapal and the Fall of Afghanistan’s Republic

In August 2021, a brutal assassination prefigured the fall of the Republic and the Taliban’s return to power.

06.08.2024 1

The Diplomat

Freshta Jalalzai