- George Glenzmann, an American who was wrongfully detained by the Taliban, is coming home.
- The Trump administration brokered a deal with the Taliban through Qatar, who represents America's interests in Afghanistan.
- America's relationship with the Taliban remains fraught after Taliban's violations of democratic norms and human rights in Afghanistan.
The Taliban has released another detained American, per AP News. George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, Georgia, was prevented from leaving Afghanistan while touring in December 2022. Later the American government labeled him as wrongfully detained.
Qatar served as a third-party negotiator for the deal between the Taliban and the Trump administration, securing praise from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“George’s release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio said. “It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free all Americans unjustly detained around the world.”
The ‘normalization’ of U.S.-Afghan relations
In 2021, the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan suffered from a messy military withdrawal and a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, a Muslim extremist group.
Then-President Joe Biden was sharply criticized by members of Congress and the Pentagon and 13 members of the U.S. military perished before they could evacuate.
Since then, the Taliban has detained three Americans, including Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, who were released in January in exchange for a Taliban agent imprisoned in California, per NBC News.
Now Glezmann, who is in his mid-60s, is coming home to his wife, Aleksandra. Unlike the deal that released Corbett and McKenty, the United States did not exchange any prisoners to secure Glezmann’s release.
Instead, officials say that the gesture was done out of goodwill, per The Associated Press. Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry called it “humanitarian grounds,” saying that the “Islamic Emirate again reaffirms its longstanding position that dialogue, understanding and diplomacy provide effective avenues for resolving all issues.”
Taliban control of Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been racked with hardship since the Taliban assumed control of the government. The economy has spiraled. Billions of dollars in international aid were cut, thousands of highly-skilled Afghan workers fled the nation and the economy altogether crashed. Political freedoms have also been slashed. The Taliban outlawed political parties other than themselves and have begun to arrest journalists and academics who dissent.
Further, the rights of women and girls have severely declined, according to reports. In 2023, Afghanistan dropped to last place on Georgetown University’s Women, Peace and Security Index. Jobs have become gender-segregated, with many roles traditionally occupied by women shut down altogether — including the closure of all of Afghanistan’s beauty salons, which resulted in the loss of 60,000 women’s jobs. Beyond the loss of economic independence, Afghan women are no longer able to leave their homes without the company of a male relative, per Euro News. Women who also do not wish to wear the Muslim hijab according Taliban requirements are being detained.
This so-called “gender apartheid,” along with the raft of other democratic norm violations, has generated reluctance among Western nations when it comes to cooperating with the Taliban. Some countries have continued to offer humanitarian aid in the hopes of preventing poverty and famine. Others have gone so far as to strike up economic deals.
For its part, the United States shut down its embassy in Afghanistan and partnered with Qatar instead.
Now, services for U.S. citizens are offered out of Kabul, Afghanistan, per The Hill. Qatar formally presents U.S. interests in Afghanistan.