Five years into Taliban governance, Afghanistan illustrates a recurring challenge for Western diplomacy: engagement versus legitimacy. European governments, according to France 24, are increasingly seeking practical contact with Kabul's authorities. The hope is that dialogue might alleviate humanitarian suffering. The worry is obvious: can you meaningfully engage with a government whose restrictions on women's rights and civil liberties remain deeply offensive to democratic values? It's a tension without easy answers—and one that suggests diplomacy rarely operates in moral clarity.

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