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The challenges facing the Taliban

Now that they’ve won the war, are the Taliban capable of governing a changed Afghanistan?

The World Bank this week halted funding for projects in Afghanistan, following the lead of the IMF and US government which also froze payments and accounts. The increased financial pressure on the Taliban is just one of the many challenges they’ll face now they've taken control of the country. Thousands of professionals who’ve worked with foreigners are fleeing, prompting increasingly urgent calls from the Taliban for them to stay. Internal disagreements within the movement are also likely to make forming a stable government difficult, as will attacks from the Islamic State militant group and rebel forces amassing in the Panjshir Valley. So, does the Taliban have what it takes to preside over a relatively orderly transition? Is the group capable of keeping the lights on and the water flowing in cities that now have much more complex infrastructure than they did back in 2001? And when it comes to the potential for a humanitarian disaster to emerge, should Western powers help the new administration in Kabul or work against it?

Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of expert guests. Producers: Paul Schuster and Ellen Otzen.

Available now

49 minutes

Last on

Sat 28 Aug 2021 03:06GMT

Contributors

Bilal Sarwary -Β Afghan journalist

Vanda Felbab-Brown - A senior fellow in the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution

Roya Rahmani - Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States from 2018 to 2021, now a senior fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)

Also featuring

Kamal Alam - The Massoud Foundation

Photo

Taliban fighters wait for their meals to be served as they lunch at a restaurant in Kabul - Credit: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

Broadcasts

  • Fri 27 Aug 2021 09:06GMT
  • Fri 27 Aug 2021 23:06GMT
  • Sat 28 Aug 2021 03:06GMT

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