{"id":1483971,"date":"2024-08-16T03:25:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T07:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1483971"},"modified":"2024-08-16T03:25:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T07:25:00","slug":"10-things-to-know-about-afghanistan-on-the-third-anniversary-of-the-talibans-return-to-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/10-things-to-know-about-afghanistan-on-the-third-anniversary-of-the-talibans-return-to-power\/1483971\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things To Know About Afghanistan On The Third Anniversary Of The Taliban’s Return To Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 Things To Know About Afghanistan On The Third Anniversary Of The Taliban’s Return To Power<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Andrew Korybko via substack,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The Taliban\u00a0returned to power<\/a>\u00a0three years ago on 15 August 2021 after capturing Kabul amidst the panicked Western withdrawal from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Most of the world has since forgotten about that country due to the\u00a0Ukrainian<\/a>\u00a0Conflict<\/a>, however, which is why it\u2019s worthwhile updating everyone about what\u2019s happening there. <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

What follows are the ten things that folks should know about Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

1. American Sanctions Remain A Major Impediment To Socio-Economic Recovery<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The US continues to sanction Afghanistan and freeze those of its assets that that the former government placed within its jurisdiction. This has impeded the country\u2019s socio-economic recovery, though that was precisely the point. The US hopes that the difficult living conditions that it contributed to creating might one day give rise to a rebellion that could threaten the Taliban\u2019s control of the country.<\/em><\/p>\n

2. The Taliban Has Yet To Form An Ethno-Politically Inclusive Government<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Taliban\u00a0previously pledged<\/a>\u00a0to form an inclusive government, which observers interpreted as a commitment to elevate the roles of ethnic minorities and the opposition, but that has yet to come to pass. They\u2019ve also imposed restrictions on woman since returning to power. These policies have served as the pretext for the international community\u2019s refusal to recognize their government\u2019s legitimacy.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Afghanistan\u2019s Astronomically Large Rare Earth Deposits Are Still Untapped<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The lack of formal recognition has complicated the Taliban\u2019s plans to profit from the\u00a0estimated $1 trillion<\/a>\u00a0worth of rare earth minerals under Afghanistan\u2019s soil, which could make it integral to global supply chains one day. Its economy could also be revolutionized if production facilities are established inside the country and these serve as anchors for more diverse foreign investments.<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Opium Production Is Practically Non-Existent After The Taliban Banned It<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Talban banned opium cultivation eight months after returning to power, which led to a whopping\u00a095% reduction<\/a>\u00a0in production. Afghanistan is now no longer the world\u2019s opium capital, but it\u2019s struggled to replace this crop with other ones, thus leaving some farmers out of work. They might in turn become more susceptible to joining terrorist groups in order to replace their lost income.<\/em><\/p>\n

5. ISIS-K Hasn\u2019t Been Wiped Out Despite The Taliban\u2019s Best Efforts<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

ISIS-K is the only force inside of Afghanistan capable of toppling the Taliban, but they haven\u2019t been wiped out despite the latter\u2019s best efforts over the past three years. They continue to recruit new members over social media, train some of them, and plan attacks from their sanctuaries there. The Taliban requires more intelligence and better arms in order to quash this global threat once and for all.<\/em><\/p>\n

6. The Taliban\u2019s Ties With Former Patron Pakistan Have Deteriorated<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The expectation that some had of Pakistan restoring its influence over Afghanistan upon the Taliban\u2019s return to power were shattered after the group turned against its patron by\u00a0hosting \u201cPakistani Taliban\u201d (TTP) militants<\/a>\u00a0that Islamabad considers to be terrorists. Tensions between these two have pushed them to the\u00a0brink of war<\/a>, but cooler heads have prevailed thus far, though they might not prevail forever.<\/em><\/p>\n

7. A Planned Canal Has Worsened Relations With The Central Asian Republics<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Afghanistan\u2019s ties with Pakistan aren\u2019t the only ones to deteriorate over the past three years since the Taliban\u2019s planned\u00a0Qosh Tepa Canal<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0worsened relations<\/a>\u00a0with the Central Asian Republics. Ties with secular Tajikistan were already troubled since it objects to the fundamentalist Taliban\u2019s alleged mistreatment of its co-ethnics but this brings Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan on its bad side too.<\/em><\/p>\n

8. India And The Taliban Surprisingly Patched Up Their Prior Problems<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Taliban-Pakistani tensions aided the group\u2019s\u00a0rapprochement<\/a>\u00a0with India, against whom it used to train Kashmiri militants, but integration into its\u00a0North-South Transport Corridor<\/a>\u00a0has yet to be completed due to the aforesaid problems with the Central Asian Republics\u00a0and Iran<\/a>. Even so, this might have influenced their decision to\u00a0recognize Kashmir as separate from Pakistan<\/a>, which aligns with India\u2019s interests.<\/em><\/p>\n

9. Russia Might Become The First Country To Recognize The Taliban\u2019s Government<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Economic and security interests are responsible for Russia\u00a0officially considering<\/a>\u00a0lifting the Taliban\u2019s terrorist designation and subsequently recognizing its government. The Kremlin wants to tap into Afghanistan\u2019s astronomically large mineral deposits that the Soviets first discovered, utilize the country\u2019s transregional connectivity potential, and facilitate the Taliban\u2019s anti-terrorist operations against ISIS-K.<\/em><\/p>\n

10. Afghanistan Can Play A Pivotal Role In Eurasia\u2019s Multipolar Integration<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Last but not least, the restoration of Afghanistan\u2019s independence after two decades of Western occupation enables it to play a pivotal role in Eurasia\u2019s multipolar integration, though ties with its neighbors must improve before that happens. In that event, it can facilitate North-South trade between Russia\/Central Asia and Pakistan\/India and East-West trade between Iran and Central Asia\/China.<\/em><\/p>\n

As can be seen, while Afghanistan no longer functions as a US airbase in the Eurasian Heartland, it\u2019s now a source of unconventional threats to the region<\/strong> after the Taliban returned to power via its hosting of the TTP, its controversial canal plans, and failure to defeat ISIS-K.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Afghanistan has more geostrategic potential than ever before<\/strong>, but it must resolve these issues in order to capitalize upon this.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nThu, 08\/15\/2024 – 23:25<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/10-things-know-about-afghanistan-third-anniversary-talibans-return-power<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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