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August 22, 2021

Economic Crisis Looms for Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule

Featuring Alex Zerden

Source: Voice of America

Journalist Rob Garver

As the Taliban take power in Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years, Afghans face not only a humanitarian crisis but also an economic crisis that threatens to make an already dire situation considerably worse. But just how bad things can get, and how much potential leverage the economic situation gives the U.S. and its allies over the Taliban, is far from certain.

Asked about the future of the Afghan economy, Alex Zerden, who served as the top U.S. Treasury Department official in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019, said, "I don't think there is a definitive answer, and anybody who does doesn't know the problem set very well, because there are a lot of different ways that this can shake out."

Read the full story and more from Voice of America.

Authors

  • Alex Zerden

    Adjunct Senior Fellow, Energy, Economics, and Security Program, Founder and Principal, Capitol Peak Strategies LLC

    Alex Zerden is the founder and principal of Capital Peak Strategies LLC, a FinTech, digital asset, and emerging technologies advisory firm. As a regulatory lawyer, economic po...