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2021-08-23

I still refrain from pontificating on the goings-on in Afghanistan as I am not qualified so to do, but the AIER have published an interesting perspective on the factors that may have enabled the Taliban's rapid and seemingly more-or-less unopposed advance.

This doesn't do much to enlighten us on how things may unfold from here, but perhaps it may explain the seemingly enduring popularity of Islamic governments in this part of the world, and why such still seem to be preferred to governments instituted by either Eastern or Western alien powers.

Did the Afghans see their opportunity once more to decisively remove an externally imposed government that was not to their liking, in favour of a group of their own nationals with whom they felt more at ease?

Certainly somebody made a choice - we will no doubt be discussing for some time to come which groups of Afghans or otherwise were participants in that choice, and who were advantaged or disadvantaged by it, but the result may be the closest that Afghanistan has come to independent "home rule" for many years.

That at least may be a step in the right direction.

Food for thought.