Afghanistan’s Former Spy Chief on Russia, China, and the Taliban’s Legitimization Strategy — The Diplomat

Masoud Andarabi, former interior minister of Afghanistan and former acting director of the National Directorate of Security, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the international re-engagement of the Taliban regime and what it means for the regional order. They discuss the distinction between the Taliban’s consolidated control and its absent legitimacy, the geopolitical logic behind Russia’s recognition, China’s Digital Silk Road and the surveillance infrastructure embedded in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s transformation from the movement’s patron into its adversary and the TTP question at the center of it, and his assessment of India’s intelligence-led engagement with individual Taliban factions. The views expressed here are personal. Subscribe today and join thousands of diplomats, analysts, policy professionals and business readers who rely on The Diplomat for expert Asia-Pacific coverage. Get unlimited access to in-depth analysis you won't find anywhere else, from South China Sea tensions to ASEAN diplomacy to India-Pakistan relations. More than 5,000 articles a year.