Dear John,

Every day this week, we have closely followed the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Since the U.S. and NATO began withdrawing troops in May, the Taliban has seized control of major portions of the country, brutally killing civilians, destroying girls’ schools, and imposing restrictions on women and girls. On a personal note, Ms. has deep ties to women in Afghanistan and they and their families are in great danger. It’s a tragedy on so many levels.

As Dr. Sima Samar—a physician who previously served as deputy president and minister of women’s affairs, and chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission—reminds us, this will be the second time the U.S. has abandoned Afghanistan. “I worry that history is now repeating itself,” writes Dr. Samar in a piece for Ms. In the 1980s, the U.S. supported the Islamic guerilla fighters in a proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. When the Soviets withdrew and the government collapsed in 1989, the U.S. left Afghanistan, ending humanitarian support and closing its door to Afghan refugees. During the civil war that followed, the Taliban rose in power and during their reign, Afghanistan became a safe haven for terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda. The terrorists have again gained a foothold in the country, and it’s clear the Taliban will gladly welcome more extremist groups.

“Afghans have so much to lose,” Dr. Samar explains. “Since the Taliban regime fell in 2001, women and girls—with leadership of Afghan human rights defenders and women’s rights leaders from the U.S. and the international community—have made substantial gains in all spheres. Women occupy leadership positions as ministers, members of parliament, judges, prosecutors and entrepreneurs. Women are represented in the army, police, media and sports. Eight million children are now in school, including 3 million girls. Maternal and infant mortality decreased, falling by 50 percent. Domestic violence has been criminalized, and women’s rights and representation are enshrined in the Afghan Constitution.”

Ms. has been reporting for more than 20 years on Afghan women and girls, from their horrific plight under Taliban gender apartheid rule in the 1990s to their fight to regain their rights after the fall of the Taliban. All the while we have featured the voices of Afghan women leaders, women elected to public office, and human rights advocates, many of whom are now at risk of assassination by the Taliban.

The U.S. and the international community share responsibility for the humanitarian crisis that is quickly emerging. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in Afghanistan, and the country suffers from a historic drought with dwindling food supplies as Taliban forces cut off critical trade routes, soon the thousands who are fleeing will become hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in Pakistan and other neighboring countries. Meanwhile, bureaucratic hurdles and restrictions on the numbers of refugees the U.S. will accept from Afghanistan remain woefully inadequate to the crisis. 

It’s difficult to overstate the long-term consequences of this moment—for Afghan women and girls, for the Afghan country and its people, for the region, and for U.S. credibility when we advocate for democracy and human rights on the world stage. Those courageous enough to step forward must now always fear they could be abandoned. 

I hope you will take time to read our coverage of Afghanistan and other key stories Ms. brought you this week. Even though Martin Luther King, Jr. promised us that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” we at Ms. hope that our reporting, rebelling and truth-telling will add urgency to that promise of justice.    

For equality,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor