Alongside Russia and India, these states will be jockeying for position in the new order wrought by the Taliban victory. Russia, Iran and China will welcome the US’s unedifying departure and its failure to develop a western-style democracy in Afghanistan. This will mostly affect Pakistan, Iran and Turkey who already host millions of Afghans between them and may prove costly in political, social and economic terms. Nonetheless, Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, welcomed the Taliban victory tweeting that Afghanistan had ‘broken the shackles of slavery’. If the return of the Taliban is a ‘win’ for Pakistan it will be perceived as a ‘loss’ for India.

Source: Irish Examiner September 07, 2021 18:56 UTC