The Taliban’s capture of power in Afghanistan has grave geostrategic ramifications. It signals Islamic resurgence, affecting not only the wide swathe of Muslim nations stretching from North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Central Asia, Gulf nations, South Asia, to Southeast Asia, but also countries with large Muslim populations.
Is it a moderate Taliban, or will it rigidly enforce the Sharia against women? Will it temper its radicalism to gain acceptability and get financial aid from the West, or would China bankroll it to advance its own strategic goals in Central Asia? Another serious concern is whether the Taliban would again shelter jihadi groups.
The implications for India are more worrisome since the Taliban now has overt support of China and Russia apart from its patron Pakistan. How would this dynamic influence India’s large Muslim population, which feels alienated due to the belligerence of organizations under the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) umbrella?
Lessons From The Taliban: Only A Secular Democracy Can Keep India Integrated – OpEd – Eurasia Review
