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BARCELONA, Spain — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denied corruption allegations against his wife but said he will consider resigning after the launch Wednesday of a judicial investigation into accusations by a right-wing legal platform that she used her position to influence business deals. Sánchez said in a letter posted on his X account that while the allegations against his wife, Begoña Gómez, are false, he is canceling his public agenda until Monday when he will announce whether he will continue or step down. "I need to stop and reflect," Sánchez wrote. "I must answer the question if it is worth it to continue, given the mud pit the right and far right have made out of our politics, if I must continue at the helm of the government or renounce that highest of honors." Sánchez, 52, has been Spain's prime minister since 2018. He was able to form a new left-wing coalition government in November to start another four-year term. He is one of Europe's longest-serving Socialist leaders. Earlier on Wednesday, a Spanish judge agreed to probe allegations of corruption made by a private group with a history of filing lawsuits mainly for right-wing causes. The court based in Madrid will consider the allegations and proceed with the investigation or toss it out. "Begoña will defend her honor and collaborate with the justice system in every way that is required to clarify that these facts that appear scandalous are in fact nonexistent," Sánchez said. Gómez, 49, does not hold public office and maintains a low political profile. Manos Limpias, or "Clean Hands," accuses Gómez of allegedly having used her position to influence business deals. The court did not provide further information and said that the probe was under seal. Manos Limpias describes itself as a union, but its main activity is a platform pursuing legal cases. Many have been linked to right-wing causes. It acts as the "popular prosecution," a peculiarity of Spanish law that allows individuals or entities to take part in certain criminal cases even when they haven't been directly harmed by the accused. Justice Minister Félix Bolaños called the new allegations "false." Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz, the leader of the junior member of Sánchez's government, publicly backed him against "this offensive by the Right." The possibility of a governmental crisis comes just weeks before important regional elections in Catalonia followed by European elections in June. Sánchez accused online news sites politically aligned with the leading opposition conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party of spreading what he called "spurious" allegations that he said led to the judicial probe. The Popular Party criticized Sánchez for "playing the role of the victim instead of holding himself accountable." Last month, Spain's government watchdog for conflict of interests tossed out a complaint made by the Popular Party against Sánchez whereby the opposition party claimed that Gómez had allegedly influenced her husband in a decision related to an airline. Spain's leader said that he was moved in part to reflect on his future due to his love for his wife. "This attack is without precedent, it is so serious and coarse that I need to stop and reflect with my wife," he said. "Most of the time we forget that politicians are people. And I do not blush to say it, but I am a man who is deeply in love with my wife, who is living with the feeling of impotence while being pelted with mud." "To summarize, this is an operation to harass me by land, sea and air to try and make me give up politics through a personal attack on my wife," Sánchez wrote.

PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted former Donald Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani along with 16 others in an election interference case. The indictment released Wednesday names 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election. It shows seven other defendants whose names were not immediately released because they had not yet been served with the charges. The Associated Press was able to determine the identities of the unnamed defendants based on their descriptions in the indictment. One is described as an attorney "who was often identified as the Mayor" and spread false allegations of election fraud, a description that clearly describes Giuliani. Another is described as Trump's " chief of staff in 2020," which describes Meadows. "I will not allow American democracy to be undermined," Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a video released by her office. "It's too important." The 11 people who had been nominated to be Arizona's Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were "duly elected and qualified" electors and claiming that Trump carried the state. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored. Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes. Of the eight lawsuits that unsuccessfully challenged Biden's victory in the state, one was filed by the 11 Republicans who would later sign the certificate declaring Trump as the winner. Their lawsuit asked a judge to de-certify the results that gave Biden his victory in Arizona and block the state from sending them to the Electoral College. In dismissing the case, U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa said the Republicans lacked legal standing, waited too long to bring their case and "failed to provide the court with factual support for their extraordinary claims." Days after that lawsuit was dismissed, the 11 Republicans participated in the certificate signing. The Arizona charges come after a string of indictments against fake electors in other states. In December, a Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans on felony charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument in connection with false election certificates. They have pleaded not guilty. Michigan's Attorney General in July filed felony charges that included forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery against 16 Republican fake electors. One had charges dropped after reaching a cooperation deal, and the 15 remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty. Three fake electors also have been charged in Georgia alongside Trump and others in a sweeping indictment accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally overturn the results. They have pleaded not guilty. In Wisconsin, 10 Republicans who posed as electors settled a civil lawsuit, admitting their actions were part of an effort to overturn Biden's victory. There is no known criminal investigation in Wisconsin. Trump also was indicted in August in federal court over the fake electors scheme. The indictment states that when Trump was unable to persuade state officials to illegally swing the election, he and his Republican allies began recruiting a slate of fake electors in battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — to sign certificates falsely stating he, not Biden, had won their states. In early January, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said that state's five Republican electors cannot be prosecuted under the current law. In New Mexico and Pennsylvania, fake electors added a caveat saying the election certificate was submitted in case they were later recognized as duly elected, qualified electors. No charges have been filed in Pennsylvania. In Arizona, Mayes' predecessor, Republican Mark Brnovich, conducted an investigation of the 2020 election, but the fake elector allegations were not part of that examination, according to Mayes' office. In another election-related case brought by Mayes' office, two Republican officials in a rural Arizona county who delayed canvassing the 2022 general election results face felony charges. A grand jury indicted Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby in November on one count each of conspiracy and interference with an election officer. Both pleaded not guilty. The Republicans facing charges are Kelli Ward, the state GOP's chair from 2019 until early 2023; state Sen. Jake Hoffman; Tyler Bowyer, an executive of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who serves on the Republican National Committee; state Sen. Anthony Kern, who was photographed in restricted areas outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack and is now a candidate in Arizona's 8th Congressional District; Greg Safsten, a former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party; energy industry executive James Lamon, who lost a 2022 Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat; Robert Montgomery, chairman of the Cochise County Republican Committee in 2020; Samuel Moorhead, a Republican precinct committee member in Gila County; Nancy Cottle, who in 2020 was the first vice president of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women; Loraine Pellegrino, president of the Ahwatukee Republican Women; and Michael Ward, an osteopathic physician who is married to Kelli Ward. None of the 11 responded to either phone, email or social media messages from The Associated Press on Wednesday seeking comment.

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News of the U.S. approval of a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine is raising optimism in that country in the face of an expected Russian assault this summer. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets.

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new york — Russia blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday reaffirming the need to prevent a nuclear arms race in outer space. The measure was proposed jointly by the United States, a nuclear power, and Japan, the only nation ever to be attacked with nuclear bombs. “We have only begun to understand the catastrophic ramifications of a nuclear explosion in space,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “How it could destroy thousands of satellites operated by countries and companies around the world — and wipe out the vital communications, scientific, meteorological, agricultural, commercial and national security services we all depend on.” The failed text recalled the responsibility of states to comply with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which is the basic framework on international space law. It says outer space is to be shared among nations and shall be free of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. The treaty also says the moon and other celestial bodies “shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes,” and astronauts shall be “regarded as the envoys of mankind.” The proposed resolution also called on states “not to develop nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction specifically designed to be placed in orbit around the Earth, or to be installed on celestial bodies, or to be stationed in outer space in any other manner.” Thomas-Greenfield noted that President Vladimir Putin has said publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. “And so, today’s veto begs the question: Why? Why, if you are following the rules, would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them?” she asked. “What could you possibly be hiding? It's baffling, and it’s a shame.” Thomas-Greenfield just returned from Japan, where she visited Nagasaki, a city on which the United States dropped one of two atomic bombs at the end of World War II. “It was a reminder of our profound responsibility to prevent the scourge of war and ensure that no place experiences the horror of nuclear weaponry ever again,” she said. “Adopting this draft resolution would have been a positive and practical contribution to the promotion of the peaceful use and exploration of outer space,” said Japanese Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki. “If adopted, we could have demonstrated our unity in reaffirming the principle of no placement of any weapons of mass destruction in outer space and in opposing the development of such capabilities.” The proposed resolution, which had more than 60 co-sponsors, created no new international obligations, but reaffirmed existing ones. It was supported by 13 of the 15 council members. After failing to get an amendment added to it, Russia vetoed it and China abstained. “Today, our council is once again being involved in a dirty spectacle prepared by the U.S. and Japan,” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. “This is a cynical ploy. We are being tricked.” He said Moscow wanted a text that would have gone further, banning weapons of any kind in outer space. China’s new U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, echoed that, saying the draft needed “other substantive elements.”  US concerns In February, U.S. officials said Russia is developing a space-based weapon to attack satellites. They do not believe it would target people or cause destruction on Earth. Analysts at the Washington-based Safe World Foundation think tank say on their website that Russia is most likely developing a system “that would use a nuclear explosion to create weapons effects, most likely an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), that would in turn disable or destroy satellites.” There are thousands of satellites in space that run the gamut from sophisticated military purposes to running a car’s GPS or providing television programming. Although the U.S. resolution was not adopted, Thomas-Greenfield said Washington would continue to pursue bilateral arms control discussions with Russia in good faith. The U.S. also has concerns about China’s work in space, where officials say they are rapidly developing a range of counterspace weapons and using outer space to strengthen the capabilities of their military forces on Earth. “Over the last six years they have tripled the number of intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance satellites in orbit, and they have used their space capabilities to improve the lethality, the precision and the range of their terrestrial forces,” said General Stephen Whiting, commander of the U.S. Space Command. He spoke by phone to regional journalists Wednesday from Tokyo, where he is meeting with allies.

The U.S. invested more than $3 billion in Sahel’s security and trained nearly 86,000 counterterrorism troops in the region over the last two decades. Russia’s military presence is linked with aggravated violence and war crimes.

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Washington   — Largely overlooked in the massive foreign aid package signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday is a measure that targets the trafficking of a dangerous drug in Syria.  The Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act is part of the package providing military and other aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It provides for new sanctions against individuals, entities and networks affiliated with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who produce and traffic Captagon.    Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-like drug that is cheaply produced. Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war in 2011, the country has become a regional hub for the production and smuggling of Captagon.  “This is a good step towards accountability and hindering and dismantling Assad’s illicit drug trade in Syria and the Middle East,” the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a Washington-based advocacy group, said in a statement.   The measure is seen as a continuation of previous congressional actions that have targeted the growing Captagon trade in Syria.   Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, policy chief of the American Coalition for Syria, said the new measure was sought by the Syrian American community “to address Assad’s pervasive involvement in the Captagon drug trade, which has tragically transformed Syria into a narco-state.”  “We are encouraged by the enactment of this bill into law,” Ghanem told VOA in an email. “Its inclusion in the comprehensive legislative package which was signed by the president into law highlights Congress' dedication to the objectives laid out in the original Captagon Act that Congress passed in Dec 2022.”   The bill was introduced to Congress by Republican Representative French Hill from Arkansas, who said Wednesday on X, “With my bill now signed into law, those directly involved with the proliferation of this dangerous drug will be targeted and sanctioned.  “It’s crucial that we take further action to disrupt and dismantle the production and trafficking of captagon as it generates billions of illicit funding for the Assad regime and devastates families in the region,” he said.    Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, two major backers of the Syrian government, have also been involved in drug trafficking in Syria. Observers say the trade also has funded Tehran’s military activities in the region.    Caroline Rose, director of the Strategic Blind Spots Portfolio at the Washington-based New Lines Institute, said the bill is part of a broader U.S. strategy that seeks to curb Captagon trafficking and production in the Middle East.   “We have seen two rounds of sanctions against Captagon agents imposed by the U.S. Treasury in the last two years, so this will keep the pressure on the U.S. inter-agency strategy to identify more eligible Captagon producers and traffickers to target,” she said.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

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Kirkuk, Iraq/Washington — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed with Iraqi officials to expand bilateral relations, an attempt that experts say will be challenged by neighbor Iran, which has established significant political clout in Iraq.  Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said at a joint news conference with Erdogan on Monday that the 26 memorandums of understanding he signed that day provided a “road map for sustainable cooperation” between Iraq and Turkey.   Erdogan, on his first visit to Iraq in 13 years, hailed the memorandums. "I believe that my visit and the agreements we signed will be a turning point in the relations between Iraq and Turkey,” he said.  The documents address key issues between the two countries, including security, water management and trade.   The two leaders also witnessed the signing of preliminary agreements among Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a 1,200-kilometer highway and railway project known as the Development Road Project, which would connect the Persian Gulf countries to Turkey and Europe through Iraq.   However, some experts are skeptical about Turkey’s ability to expand its interests in Iraq. They think Iran, as a regional competitor with more influence in Iraq, will ultimately shape Ankara’s relations with Baghdad.   "Whether Iran will agree to a NATO member to become the main character in Iraq and Tehran’s competitor is questionable,” Sardar Aziz, a researcher at the Emirates Policy Center and a former senior adviser in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, told VOA.   Aziz argued that the term of Iraq’s current Cabinet is approaching its end, adding more uncertainty for Turkey.   “Prime Minister al-Sudani has only one year left in office, and his chances of remaining in his position are very low,” he said. “Additionally, no money has been allocated in the Iraqi budget for these projects. These make it impossible for the agreements to become long term, unless Iran agrees to them.”   While competition between Turkey and Iran over influence in Iraq is not new, Tehran has had the most influence since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. In 2014, the Popular Mobilization Forces, an organization of Iran’s Shiite proxy militias in Iraq, further solidified Iran’s hand in Iraq.   However, experts say Turkey is seeking to balance Iran’s dominance by supporting Iraq’s Sunni and Turkmen communities.   According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan met with several representatives of Baghdad’s Turkmen community during his visit on Monday to Iraq. That meeting followed one with the Sunni community in the Iraqi capital.   Hassan Hanzal al-Nasir, an Iraqi writer and journalist in Baghdad, argued that Turkey’s influence over Iraqi Sunnis was unlikely to help Erdogan because of a stark division in the Sunni political base, particularly after the removal of Iraq’s parliamentary speaker.   Iraq’s Sunni parliament speaker, Mohamed al-Halbousi, was removed from his position in November 2023 by the overwhelmingly Shiite Iraqi Supreme Court over forgery allegations. Some Sunni political leaders condemned the decision as an attempt to further marginalize their community.   "Iraq’s Sunni political leaders are confused between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates and even Jordan. There is no consensus among the Iraqi Sunnis to fill the position of the parliament head,” al-Nasir told VOA.   Nazar Haidar, director of the Iraq Media Center based in Virginia, said Turkey is leveraging Iraq’s sectarian divisions as “a negotiating card.”  “Indeed, the Iraqi public has been shocked in the recent two days after seeing pictures of President Erdogan meeting with those he called the representatives of the Sunni community and the representatives of the Turkmen community. This is an extremely dangerous subject,” he told VOA.   “The Sunni and Turkmen communities see Ankara as a support force in the Iraqi political process, and Ankara sees the Sunni and Turkmen communities as the negotiating card with the Iraqi government,” Haidar added.  Experts predict Iran’s involvement will similarly complicate Iraq's and Turkey’s attempts to cooperate on security.   While speaking to reporters on his flight home, Erdogan said Iraqi officials had agreed to cooperate with his government against Turkey’s Kurdish PKK militants. He said he wished to see concrete results of Baghdad's labeling of the PKK as a "banned organization."   Aziz, of the Emirates Policy Center, told VOA, "It seems that Turkey did not achieve its goal of convincing Iraq to recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization.”   “In practice, Iraq's assistance to Turkey against the PKK is difficult, because the issue has geopolitical and regional dimensions,” he said, adding that Turkey’s possible military operations inside Iraq, particularly in the city of Sinjar, where the PKK and PMF simultaneously operate, could lead to direct involvement from Iran.   But Haidar predicted no Iranian objection to a future Turkish military operation against Kurdish militants in Iraq.   “Iran will agree on such an operation by Turkey because it will give [Iran] a good opportunity to further enhance its strategic interests inside the Iraqi territory. It will be a mutually beneficial scenario for Iran and Turkey,” Haidar said. This story originated in VOA’s Kurdish Service.

Nairobi, Kenya — The Kenyan government is threatening to withhold the salaries and union remittances of striking doctors after failing to reach an agreement with doctors' union.  "We will be asking our counsel to appeal to the court to review the orders that had been issued initially so that we are allowed to take the necessary action to ensure that Kenyans continue to enjoy health care services," said Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya's is cabinet secretary for health, after three days of negotiations. Led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, the doctors went on strike on March 15 to demand a commitment from the government to fulfill collective bargaining agreements signed in 2017. The work stoppage has paralyzed medical services in public hospitals across the country. The government said it has addressed all issues raised by the medics — except for the salary of intern doctors — which union officials say is the deal breaker.  "We are not at any point going to support exploitation of workers, we are not at any point going to support wage-slavery," said Davji Atellah, the secretary-general of KMPDU. "Because we know that our vulnerable members, the intern doctors, once they are touched, once they are exploited, the next step would be the doctors working in the hospital; the next step will be the consultants. If you violate a document that is legal, like collective bargaining agreement, the part of doctor interns, which part of it is safe?"  Lucianne Odiero, a final year medical student at the University of Nairobi, said the government's move to reduce intern doctors' salary is demoralizing.  "The 70,000 shillings does not reflect the significant investment and research that interns have put in in their training and practice," said Odiero. "And that just goes to show that the government does not really value and does not prioritize health care in the country."  Seventy thousand shillings equals about $520 per month.  The ongoing strike has severely disrupted health services in public hospitals. The situation has been compounded by a strike by clinical and laboratory workers. The strikes haver left patients such as Conceptor Oginga in Nakuru County struggling to access care from expensive private hospitals, leading to worsening chronic illnesses and even death.  "The doctors' strike is really bad because it has really affected a lot of people, especially people who are not able to support themselves financially," said Oginga. "Like currently I'm sick and I'm unable to go to the hospital…the only thing I have managed to do is buy medicine over the counter."  Oginga said her friend lost a baby during birth because of the walkout. She appealed to the government to end the stalemate.  "My message to the government is to just try to have a dialogue with the doctors so that they can have a common ground and they can go back to doing their job so that not so many people will be suffering the way they are suffering right now," she said.  Kenya's health sector, which medical experts say is underfunded and understaffed, has seen a number of strikes over the years. A previous walkout in 2017 lasted 100 days.  Patients such as Oginga said they hope a lasting solution is found soon. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Paytm, a popular payment app in India, faces government restrictions on business because of its Chinese connections, local media say. India is ramping up scrutiny and restrictions on other Chinese tech companies, too, amid concerns about security and geopolitics. Henry Wilkins has the story from Mumbai.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country has proven the West doesn't have a monopoly on technology while inaugurating a hydropower and irrigation project in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Raisi is the first Iranian leader to visit Sri Lanka since former President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad visited the country in 2008. "The Western countries tried to convince all others that knowledge and technology is exclusive to those countries," Raisi said, addressing Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other top officials. He added the idea was rooted in "colonialism and arrogance" and that Iran was now able to share its knowledge with others, including projects in 20 countries. The Uma Oya project, in the central Badulla district, was constructed with Iranian technical assistance. Valued at $514 million, it was started in 2010 by Iran's FARAB engineering group and Iran initially provided $50 million. But in 2013, funding could not be continued because of international sanctions against Iran. The Sri Lankan government then decided to complete the project with its own funds using the same Iranian contractor. The project was scheduled for completion in 2015 but was delayed by international sanctions against Iran, technical issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said in a statement ahead of Raisi's visit. The project will add 290 GWh of electricity annually to the national grid and irrigate 4,500 hectares (11,100 acres) of new land and 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of existing agricultural land. "Our enemies did not want Iran to develop and progress ... so the will and determination of the Iranian people were realized, and our enemies were disappointed," Raisi said. Raisi and Wickremesinghe are to witness the signing of five memoranda of understanding and to issue a joint statement. Raisi arrived in Sri Lanka from Pakistan, where the two countries agreed to strengthen economic and security cooperation. The Indian Ocean island nation declared bankruptcy in April 2022 with more than $83 billion in debt, more than half of it to foreign creditors. Wickremesinghe's government secured an IMF four-year bailout package to rescue the country from its worst economic crisis. Despite improving economic indicators, Wickremesinghe, who came to power in 2022, faces public backlash over heavy taxes and the high cost of living.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Wednesday providing $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after months of tense negotiations in Congress. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on what's next.

Washington — Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors are holding out hope that America, based on its pledges at September’s C5+1 summit, will expand its role in this neighborhood. The wish list includes delivering more humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, facilitating the expansion of trade, and combating the threats of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.  Officials speaking with VOA suggest that more aid could be channeled into Afghanistan via Uzbekistan. Additionally, Washington could offer more military assistance to Central Asian states and tangibly support their regional connectivity initiatives.  While no country has formally announced diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government, Central Asian nations have been engaging with the Taliban based on mutual interests, such as security, trade, and water sharing. Uzbekistan, which has extensive political and economic ties with Kabul, has been urging the West and the larger international community not to isolate Afghanistan.  Nearly three years since the withdrawal of American forces, U.S. officials insist that they have not abandoned Afghanistan, pointing to ongoing efforts and consultations with Central Asian counterparts. However, they admit Washington’s priorities have shifted to other issues, such as Russia’s war on Ukraine.  “It will take the U.S. a decade or two to recover from the fact that we lost the war,” said David Sedney, a veteran diplomat and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. “It took us 20 years before we were able to engage in Vietnam in a productive way,” he told VOA.  Scott Worden, who heads the Afghanistan and Central Asia programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, thinks that Central Asian governments overestimate Washington’s leverage.  “There are a lot of issues in the world that have to be addressed simultaneously,” he noted in an interview with VOA. “They [the U.S.] are balancing the leverage that they have against issues that are manageable and maybe achievable versus ones like women's rights, which I think the administration cares strongly about.”  “It's just a really tough situation,” Worden added. “In my view, you should not condition humanitarian assistance. Any economic sanctions wind up hurting the Afghans that we want to support. It's a difficult balance, and so I don't think there is any obvious additional tool or leverage that could be deployed that they're withholding.”  Some Western nations including the United States, however, have filtered humanitarian aid programs through partner organizations that circumvent Taliban officials and deliver aid directly to Afghan civilians. According to USAID, the U.S. supplied nearly $81 million in Afghan humanitarian aid in fiscal year 2024, and has supplied total funding for Afghanistan of "more than $2 billion since August 2021 ... including more than $1.5 billion in [USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance] funding and nearly $550 million in [the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration] funding." “Provided through international partners on the ground,” says USAID, this assistance helps “meet the needs of the most vulnerable through food and cash support, nutrition, health care, protection for women and children, and agricultural inputs to support Afghans in meeting their immediate food needs.”  Like Sedney, Worden suggests being realistic. “There is ample opportunity for the U.S. and other international partners to talk to the Taliban when they want to.”  “This is all part of a very difficult global conversation,” he said.  But for Frederick Starr, chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, known for advocating closer ties with the region, Afghanistan is “utterly ignored right now.”  Starr emphasizes that this country is critical for regional integration and stability, two goals the U.S. has long vowed to support.  Sedney observes that "not many people want to talk about Afghanistan," not just in Washington but in other Western capitals as well.  Speaking last week at the American Foreign Policy Council, these experts stressed that America’s two decades of involvement in Afghanistan left it with an obligation to go beyond the status quo.  Starr approves of the steps Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have taken with Afghanistan, particularly regarding commerce, energy supply and water resources.  Other observers, however, warn about tensions between the Taliban and Tajikistan, which officially supports the National Resistance Front, an armed alliance of anti-Taliban forces that is loyal to the previous regime and carries out guerrilla attacks in Afghanistan. Dushanbe continues to host the previous government’s ambassador.  Worden identifies several key interests and objectives for Washington, most of which align with those of the region. The first and most important objective is counterterrorism, ensuring that Afghan territory is never again used to launch attacks on the U.S. or its allies.  Others include negotiations on American hostages; the evacuation of Afghans that the U.S. promised to help following its withdrawal; women's rights and other human rights; humanitarian assistance; and economic development.  Perhaps the most abstract interest, according to Worden, “is trying to maintain an international diplomatic consensus on the broad conditions and expectations that we have for the Taliban, which include in the endgame a more inclusive society that is not a threat to itself and for its neighbors as well as these U.S. interests.”  “It's remarkable that no country in the world has recognized the Taliban,” he said, adding, however, that he sees a divergence between Western-allied emphasis on human rights and women's rights and the neighboring countries’ economic and security concerns.  In Worden’s view, the U.S. is pursuing a policy of “quiet engagement” on humanitarian assistance and counterterrorism. At the same time, there is a firm position of non-recognition and not wanting to legitimize the Taliban.  “Can this dualism sustain over time?” asked Worden, who also sees a cleavage developing, where countries in the region will over time increase engagement with those in power in Afghanistan to achieve their economic and security interests. “Not that they like the Taliban, but they feel like talking to them is better than not.”  Regardless of who inhabits the White House next January, Worden doubts that U.S. attention toward Afghanistan will increase unless there is an “acute crisis.”  Republicans tend to “prefer coercion to engagement when you're talking about regimes that we don't have much in common with,” he said. “So yes, there is the wild card of potentially making a great deal, but I think the odds of support for armed opposition would increase.”  U.S.-based Afghan journalist Samy Mahdi, who runs Amu Television out of Virginia, points out that the Taliban enjoy close relations with America’s adversaries, such as Iran, Russia and China. He argues that U.S. assistance has brought about minimum results, and that the Taliban is as radical and dangerous as it was in the 1990s.  Mahdi recommends a full review of U.S. policy.  “More communication and transparency are needed on Afghanistan,” he said at the American Foreign Policy Council forum. “We don't hear much from the U.S. administration about Afghanistan.”