• The US State Department announced Wednesday that US diplomats will meet with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, before the end of July to discuss "critical interests," including humanitarian support, economic stabilization, security, and women's rights. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
• Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed, however, that the first round of talks since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 doesn't indicate any kind of recognition, normalization, or legitimacy of the regime. Independent (LR: 2 CP: 3)
• Before heading to Qatar, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri met with officials from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to discuss Afghanistan in Astana. United States Department of State
• Meanwhile, the Taliban delegation will be led by its acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, as Kabul seeks to have sanctions eased, get its bank reserves unfrozen, and halt violations of its airspace. KabulNow
• The cash-stripped Afghanistan is isolated, diplomatically and economically, as no country has recognized the Taliban's government. Foreign aid, once accounting for 95% of the government's budget, has dried up and GDP has plummeted by 20%. It's estimated that only 5% of its population has enough to eat. Middle East Eye
• Last month, the US State Dept. released a report criticizing both Democratic US President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump for the chaotic pullout of US troops in 2021, which saw an Islamic State suicide bomber kill 13 US service members and over 150 Afghans outside an airport gate. Reuters

Pro-establishment narrative:

• The talks in Doha between US and Taliban delegates do not represent a change in US policy of any kind but rather an attempt to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by the fundamentalist de facto rulers as well as the recent marginalization of Afghan women and girls. It's in the US best interest to engage with the Taliban appropriately to solve these issues.
  VOA

Establishment-critical narrative:

• Afghanistan is in a terrible situation facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, so talks are necessary if the situation is to improve, as the main driver of this suffering has been the sanctions and banking restrictions imposed by the US. Given that the Taliban has succeeded in halting violence and preventing another destructive civil war, it's about time for the international community to change its approach.
  Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)

Nerd narrative:

• There's a 25% chance that the United States will recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus