WASHINGTON: Former US ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker has warned that continued neglect of Afghanistan could carry serious consequences for US and global security, urging Washington not to repeat what he described as the mistake of turning away from the country in the 1990s.
Crocker made the remarks earlier this week at an event hosted by the National Endowment for Democracy, where he argued that Afghanistan’s future cannot be treated solely as a domestic matter because developments there remain closely connected to regional and international security.
The event brought together former US diplomats, civil society activists, journalists and Afghan political figures based in the United States.
Participants discussed the situation facing Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule, restrictions on human rights, the condition of independent media and possible pathways for Afghanistan’s political future.
The former diplomat said the United States had already experienced the consequences of neglecting Afghanistan in the 1990s and expressed hope that Washington would not repeat the same mistake.
Speaking at a NED event in Washington, former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker recalled a post-2001 radio call-in program in which a caller from Nangarhar joked about the government’s inability to effectively censor criticism.
Crocker connected the exchange to Afghanistan today,… pic.twitter.com/rdPxd8vYba
— Amu TV (@AmuTelevision) August 26, 2026
He also called for continued engagement with Afghanistan and support for Afghans working in human rights, education, independent media and civil society.
Crocker Criticises Taliban Rule
Crocker strongly criticised the Taliban’s record over the past five years, accusing the group of attempting to take Afghanistan back to what he described as a “dark age”.
He said the restrictions imposed by the Taliban were concerning, but argued that an even deeper problem was what he described as an attempt to fundamentally re-engineer Afghan society.
According to Crocker, the Taliban are seeking to establish a system built around the subservience of women and dominance of men, with an unelected emir exercising power through arbitrary decrees.
He described the current period as “dark times” but said the Afghan people remained the country’s greatest source of hope.
Afghanistan Has Changed, Crocker Says
Reflecting on his experience following the collapse of the first Taliban government, Crocker said Afghanistan today is fundamentally different from the country he encountered in 2001.
He said the country now has a more educated population, including many Afghans familiar with political participation, civil society and free and independent media.
Crocker said the Taliban would not be able to extinguish that spirit.
He also recalled travelling to Kabul after the fall of the first Taliban government to reopen the US embassy, describing the devastation he witnessed across the country at the time.
Crocker’s remarks underline a continuing debate in Washington over how the United States should engage with Afghanistan while balancing concerns over the Taliban’s domestic policies with broader regional and international security interests.
