Global Governance & Politics
Reports
Elections and crises in Somalia and Ethiopia
They call it diplomacy: A conversation on the broader Middle East and the critical role of diplomats
The role of youth in preserving democracies in times of crisis: A shared goal of the United States and Africa
[President Biden's meeting with Afghan leaders is] more sort of a public way of perhaps tying that bow on Afghanistan while assuring the world, look; we tried to do right by Afghans. We still stand on the side of this government, but this is all that we could do. Our time has ended in Afghanistan.
The key dynamic, at least initially, will not be one of the external players jockeying for influence and control — but the Taliban and Kabul fighting it out. Each of these external players [China, Russia, Iran, India and Turkey] has some skin in the game and some moves up its sleeve. We've seen Turkey assert its role in recent days, and India change its tack and reportedly initiate discussions with the Taliban. Pakistan is perhaps in the strongest position, given its location and the history with the Taliban. Yet any role it plays will certainly be contested — by Kabul, by the Taliban, and by other players.
