Two Talibans and India

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan will pose challenges for the country and the entire region, including India. “Even if a security agreement is signed with the government in Kabul that allows the Americans to retain a small presence, the overarching security umbrella that has been in place since the Taliban defeat in 2001 would have receded,” writes Ashok Malik for the Times of India. “In Afghanistan, western governments are confident that the Afghan army, largely officered by Tajiks, will be able to take on the Pashtun-led Taliban forces and keep the symbolically important city of Kabul for the foreseeable future.” The Pakistan army will also put up a fight against the Taliban in that nation, and Indians have good reason to cheer their rival. Politicians may try to appease the extremists with arcane laws for limited territory, but the Taliban won’t be satisfied. The two Taliban groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan could continue to wage wars near home or seek an external foe in India, which will have its national election in the spring of 2014. – YaleGlobal