The Geopolitics of International Aid and its Influence on Afghanistan’s Post-2021 SDGs Priorities

Abstract

Since the Taliban’s returned to power in 2021, Afghanistan faced widespread international isolation and a severe shortage of development aid. This study
assessed how the geopolitical context of international aid affected Afghanistan’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The need for
this study arose because no scholarly analysis had previously examined the relationship between political conditions of aid, regional rivalries, and Afghan needs. The study relied on interviews with 20 university lecturers and a thematic analysis of documents. The main finding showed that international aid, which had previously focused on long-term development, became limited to addressing short-term humanitarian needs. Aid was made conditional on values such as women’s rights, inclusive governance, and freedom of expression principles that conflicted with the Taliban regime’s policies. These conditions hindered long-term development, with particular attention to SDGs 4, 5, 8, 9, and 16. Similarly, USA, China, Pakistan, and Qatar used aid for political influence, not to meet the needs of the Afghan people. This study concluded that effective aid required transparency, local ownership, and a needs-based approach rather than political conditions. It recommended that international donors adopt a neutral, needs-driven strategy that supported sustainable development without intensifying domestic political tensions.