The UN's Dilemma in Balancing Engagement with Taliban Amid Afghanistan's Humanitarian Crisis.

The United Nations is struggling to address Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis without running afoul of Western countries seeking to pressure the government in Kabul to moderate its policies. The world body finds itself at the center of an international debate about where to draw red lines in supporting Afghanistan and in an uncomfortable position as an intermediary between the West and the Taliban. The U.N. presence in Afghanistan will look much like the status quo, with U.N. agencies and other aid groups focusing their energies on finding ways to circumvent the Taliban ban on female staff.