Today, everyone is aware of women\u2019s condition in Afghanistan and the oppression they\u00a0 have been going through since the Taliban took control over the country in 2021. But\u00a0 there is more to the story of women in Afghanistan; their journey has been through many\u00a0 ups and downs over the last few decades.<\/p>\n
This research paper will explore how the foreign policy of countries, including the United\u00a0 States, NATO members, regional powers like Pakistan, Iran, China, and others, has impacted the lives of women in Afghanistan since 2001. The analysis would be done \u00a0from both Western and indigenous Afghan feminist lenses.<\/p>\n
Afghanistan has become the focal point for competing foreign policy agendas since US US-led invasion in 2001, many of which claim to protect Afghan women. Early on, Women\u2019s rights were explicitly invoked as a justification for military intervention by\u00a0 Western countries. Former First Lady Laura Bush, in 2001 in her speech framed the war\u00a0 on terror as a \u201cfight for women\u2019s rights and dignity.\u201d This narrative was later criticized for\u00a0 using Afghan women as a symbol in a \u201cwhite savior\u201d war narrative. Scholars term this\u00a0 \u201cembedded feminism,\u201d noting that liberating Afghan women’s narrative helped\u00a0 legitimize war.<\/p>\n