Afghanistan Earthquake Rescue Efforts Reveal the Cost of Failed Governance and Global Neglect

Four days after a devastating earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, more than 1,450 lives have been lost and thousands injured in a disaster exacerbated not just by nature but by decades of failed governance and crippling poverty. While international humanitarian aid struggles to navigate treacherous mountain terrain to reach the survivors, the unfolding crisis lays bare the urgent consequences of abandoning national sovereignty and security in this strategically vital region. Why Has Rescue Turned Into Recovery? The Human Cost of Taliban Rule The combination of fragile infrastructure built from wood, stone, and mud—and a mountainous geography prone to rockfalls—made local homes...