“… as the Taliban prepares to govern for the second time, experts have warned that it will not compromise on its hardline Islamist values to secure crucial aid from the West.
Afghanistan experts believe that many of the advances in Afghanistan made in the last 20 years – such as women returning to schools and universities – will not be preserved, despite claims by some British officials that the group has changed.
Alistair Burt, an Afghan affairs analyst and former UK foreign office minister, is doubtful that Western leverage over aid would have a major impact.
“It would seem unlikely that after all they believe they have endured and the victory they have achieved, that they should accept restrictions which go against their beliefs of how their society should live,” he said.
“Aid agencies will also be conflicted – they put serving local communities at the top of their priorities, and will wish to continue delivering to them in almost all circumstances, which the Taliban will also know. If there are to be constraints on the Taliban it would not be likely that they will be Western-driven.”” Telegraph
Comment: Congressman Michael Waltz of Florida is a former National Guard Green Beret officer who served in Afghanistan. He reminds of the line “Tiger, tiger burning bright in the forest of the night …” He said on TeeVee this AM that the careerist striped pants cookie pusher belief that the West can leverage denial of funds to acquire Taliban “moderation” is nonsense and based on the delusion that the jihadis function on Western assumptions of economic determinism. Waltz insists, correctly IMO, that rather than accept the need to bow to Deep State demands in return for access to the world’s money supply, they will simply take and exhibit hostages from the large pool of available candidates.
Biden’s behavior as the instrument of him/her who instructs him remains bizarre. One can only wish that Brigadier General Sir Harry Flashman was among his advisers. pl
Oh let us not worry, they will get the ‘aid’ one way or another. After BidENGHAZI, the jihadi sharks have tasted blood and are more brazen than ever before.
Here is a uniformed one threatening a repeat on the eve of 9/11.
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-nsa-warns-of-second-9-11-if-west-doesnt-recognise-taliban-then-says-misquoted/724638/
https://twitter.com/christinalamb/status/1431992730910089219
Meanwhile our thinktanks and apologist media will be busy researching, explaining and justifying why the scorpion stings.
Really? The ISI ( Pakistan) Regime made that threat to us through their
“NSA” Moeed Yusuf mouthpiece before deciding they were safer off at this particular time not to have made the threat they had just made?
Maybe we should start looking at ISI (“Pakistan’s”) role in the first 9/11 attacks. I remember having read a blogpost noting some cross-connections between some of the 9/11 people and the ISI and the reasons for the kidnapping / ritual-display murder of Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.
http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2005/03/pearl-of-great-price.html
Maybe we should make economic non-assistance and non-contact with Afghanistan permanent and maybe we should extend that non-assistance and non-contact to include Pakistan. Let Afghanistan and Pakistan both together become a steady expense and worry for Iran, Russia, and China. Let Iran, Russia and China begin de-terroristing Afghanistan and Pakistan both. Because if it is left up to Pakistan, Afghanistan will be filled right back up again with al Qaeda, more ISIS, Lashqar e This, Lashqar e That, etc.
different clue
I’d suggest you read the article. The journalist in question has spun the interview as a threat by Pakistan of another 9/11, it was nothing of the kind. In reality the Pakistani NSA warned of “..a security vacuum filled by undesirable elements who will threaten everyone, Pakistan and the West”. This is a real risk and prompts a question I think we should ask ourselves; which is worse, a Taliban led government or a failed state with none at all.
Anyway, that’ll teach the Pakistani NSA to give interviews to the British press. Bear in mind the Brits have been leading the charge for the US to remain in Afghanistan forever to play their Great Game for them. It is similarly unsurprising that the Indian press picked this up.
Barbara Ann
You mean the ISI?
Not ISI Colonel, the interviewee was the Pakistani National Security Advisor; Moeed Yusuf.
Ah well yes, different clue, still online after all these years the diligent collection by History Commons. For me too, seemingly at the center of the storm at the time:
tinyurl.com/HC–Ahmed-Omar-Saeed-Sheikh
Pakistan – India -Afghanistan
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1432374363316228100?s=21
SST correspondents have been way ahead of the curve due to Col.Lang’s prescient analysis. A few head-chopping scenes would be sufficient for the woke Biden/Harris administration to send in a few more airplanes with pallets of cash. They’ve already left behind several pallets of $100 bills.
One more picture worth a thousand words. Cartoonist Branco slays Biden’s later day Plan B plagiarizing of Trump’s original evacuation plans:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/08/branco-cartoon-plan-b/
Reports in the last few minutes that the last US military transport aircraft are wheels-up out of Kabul.
Qatar and our “ally” Turkey are rumored to be taking over management of KIA. I think that could be a partial answer to any doubts about the taliban’s funding.
Are there any estimates of how many US citizens are still trying to get out of Afghanistan? I haven’t seen a solid number so far.
Apparently Gen. McKenzie has been quoted as saying “very low hundreds” are left. I can only imagine the mental contortions he undertook to come up with that phrase.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/centcom-americans-who-wanted-to-be-evacuated-were-left-behind-in-afghanistan-taliban-now-in-control
AK,
Thanks. I think that when someone is used to being contorted it comes naturally. Sounds like he didn’t have a handle on the number either, but maybe the cognitive dissonance is getting to him? Gen. Miller furled his flag and departed just 49 days previously and they thought they had at least months.
Stephanie, also, thank you for the reply.
Dear Colonel,
Even easier than hostages for cash are Saudi funds (unless I missed their renouncement of support for jihadi groups?).
Hostages, though may be useful for negotiations with the US on policy (transfer of Syrian moderate rebels to the Panjshir valley, for example).
While I respect Col. Lang’s opinion, I believe that if we refuse to engage with the Taliban two things will happen:
1. The Taliban will maximise their nuisance value for the West, providing a haven for terrorists, increasing production and distribution of heroin and generally leveraging their position at the crossroads of Asia.
2. The Taliban will engage with the Russians, Iranians, and the Chinese in order to access funds and infrastructure. They will provide what we won’t. Afghanistan will be integrated into OBOR.
Is there a military solution to all that? My opinion is short term Yes, long term No. Once Chinese and Russian assets in Afghanistan are threatened they may act to prevent our meddling. That could go all the way to an air defence system, possibly integrated with Iran.
It Looks Like Jingle Bell.. Joe…left alot of Treasure..To Sell..As Needed.Use…or Hold Out as Bait…I would imagine it will be enough to fill every Pipe in Afghanastan..Sadly…Future iVideos coming out of Afghanistan…will look like the Taliban Video that out of ..Taliban Soccer Fields..After 9/11…and poor Souls.. Kneeling…with Knifes to their Throats..
Flashman great stuff via the grand George MacDonald Fraser.
Mike C,
The official estimate is that there are about 250 Americans left in the country who wanted to leave. Not sure if that includes green card holders. Reportedly about 5,400 Americans were evacuated successfully.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-military-afghanistan-exit-civilians-b1911399.html
Western leverage over the Taliban will not work for 2 reasons. The first is the point yourself, Burt and Waltz make; fundamentalism is simply a stronger force than economic determinism. What is money next to the glory of Allah?
The second is the very pragmatic point that walrus makes; the West is not the only game in town. The West’s (lack of) influence in Afghanistan was thrown into sharp relief in the State Department’s proclamation on evacuation assurances (link). The list of 100 joint signatories is mighty impressive until you realize who is missing; every single one of Afghanistan’s neighbors, including China, Iran & Pakistan plus Russia. Even India is missing. These are the countries who will determine Afghanistan’s future now. The new Emirate will ask for, and likely receive, financial aid from elsewhere – primarily China I expect.
The Treasury Dept. has frozen the Afghan National Bank’s reserves – of the order of $10 billion. How much does that work out per hostage? Aside from that risk, $10 billion may be a vast sum for Afghanistan, but it is not so much for China, especially when one considers the potential value of Afghanistan’s rare earth mineral wealth, for example. China’s go to FP tool is mercantalist carrot, not stick, and the Chinese will work with anyone.