Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan
Full Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; currently Islamic Emirate under Taliban control
Date of Independence: August 19, 1919
Capital: Kabul
Population: 37.4 million (as of July 2021)
Foreign-Born Population: approx. 144,000 global migrants (as of mid-2020), majority from neighboring Pakistan and Tajikistan
Government Structure: Presidential Islamic Republic (before Taliban take over); currently under caretaker government
Leader(s): President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani (vacant); Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada
Primary Flow of Immigration:
Negative net migration (0.1 migrants/1,000 population); markedly higher rates of emigration than immigration
3.547 internally displaced people (IDP) mostly of Pashtun and Kuchi origin due to natural disaster and political instability
Afghanistan has been experiencing mass emigration for over 30 years since the invasion and subsequent withdrawal of the Soviet Union, leading to a series of civil wars ending in Taliban control in 1996
The terrorist attacks on 9/11 that prompted the US to begin a war with Afghanistan that lasted for 20 years, exponentially increased the number of Afghans emigrating to other countries
Major Destinations of Emigrants: Most Afghan migrants go to neighboring countries Iran (2.7 million) and Pakistan (1.6 million) as well as Saudi Arabia (481,000)
Recent Immigration Factors: President Biden’s decision to withdraw all US personnel from Afghanistan this August and Taliban takeover in September has prompted another exodus from Afghanistan
There has been international concern over potential human rights violations, particularly concerning women’s rights. Many fear a return to the hard-line policies of 2000 and 2001.
Women in the town of Herat are already being denied “freedom of movement outside the home, compulsory dress codes, curtailed access to employment and education, and and restricting the right to peaceful protest.”
Public Opinion on Migration: Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has urged the members of the international community to accept Afghan refugees into their countries
The UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, has reported that there are almost 3.5 million IDPs in Afghanistan
The majority of US citizens, across the political spectrum, supports resettling Afghan refugees, despite their general attitudes towards immigration
Afghanistan is a special case—many feel a duty to help Afghans who worked with the US government/military (3 out of 4 Americans, including 73% of Republicans) and those who are fleeing persecution (2 out of 3 Americans)
Further Reading:
Afghan refugees in U.S. despair from afar: ‘There is no hope’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/18/afghan-immigrants-us-reaction/
—Safiya Umrani
Sources:
Ghyasi, S. (2020). Unsplash. photograph, Kabul, Afghanistan. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://unsplash.com.
Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Central intelligence agency. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/#introduction.
MFA, S. O.-. (n.d.). Afghanistan country profile. Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.mfa.gov.af/about-afghanistan/country-profile.html.
Migration Policy Institute. (2021, July 22). Immigrant and emigrant populations by country of origin and destination. migrationpolicy.org. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/immigrant-and-emigrant-populations-country-origin-and-destination?width=1000&height=850&iframe=true.
Afghanistan: Taliban Abuses cause widespread fear. Human Rights Watch. (2021, September 23). Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/23/afghanistan-taliban-abuses-cause-widespread-fear.
Pannett, R. (2021, September 8). Who leads AFGHANISTAN'S new Government? Here's what we know about the TALIBAN'S top officials. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/08/taliban-leaders-afghanistan-government-women/.
Press, T. A. (2021, September 17). The latest: UN says Taliban must Form inclusive Afghan govt. AP NEWS. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iran-pakistan-afghanistan-taliban-d6f8d71f48cc33cc61f4cd38226cb14f.
Rose, J. (2021, September 9). Support for Resettling Afghan refugees in The U.S. is broad - but has limits. NPR. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035240731/support-for-resettling-afghan-refugees-in-the-u-s-is-broad-but-has-limits.
