The Problem of Afghanistan
As the Taliban has become the de facto rulers of Afghanistan, most countries are not sure what is the “right” course of action. Recognize it officially, and hope to have some form of communication channels and influence? Refuse to recognize it, but that didn’t prevent the Kandahar hijacking and prisoners-for-hostages swap, or the planes from flying into the Twin Towers, did it? C. Raja Mohan states a reality of life when he says : “That victories on the battlefield have political consequences is one of the fundamental features of international politics. Governments have no option but to come to terms, now or later, with the victor.” He cites the speed at which UN resolutions are changing their wording as examples of this reality. A la when Napoleon escaped from Elba and marched towards Paris in 1815, this is a rough translation of the progression in the headlines of the age: “Here is a rough sense and sequence of the headlines: “The Cannibal has left his den”....