Economic Brief: Afghanistan – Economic realpolitik needs to address the acute food and health crises and preserve chances to achieve economic and social progress

This new Economic Brief argues that to avoid an economic meltdown in Afghanistan, soaring unemployment, a possible famine, and a dramatic deepening of the health crisis brought about by COVID-19, the new de-facto authorities of the country and the international community need quickly to come to solutions that secure at least the basic needs of the population. It also provides data and arguments that show that to avoid a dramatic further increase in gender inequality and women’s participation in the labor market, to provide adequate schooling, to help deal with the draughts brought about by climate change, and to preserve Afghanistan’s chances to achieve economic and social progress, some sort of pragmatic cooperation between Afghanistan and the regional and international community is needed in the longer run too.