Spoilers in Afghanistan

What is it about?

The possible return of the Taliban in some form could compel Afghanistan’s current external partners—Iran, India, and Russia—to turn into limited spoilers. The absence of an international guarantor in Afghanistan from December 2014 is likely to encourage Pakistan to intensify its meddling as a means to reposition the Taliban at the helm of Afghan affairs. The combination of limited, greedy, and total spoilers threatens to undermine security and state-building processes.

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Why is it important?

The ongoing international military withdrawal from Afghanistan has set the stage for energising the activities of Afghanistan’s external stakeholders toward re-evaluating their activities. As such, an analysis of the role and strategies of these stakeholders is both timely and pertinent.