Taliban 2.0 & its discontents

India should not be rushed into a response

The warp speed with which the Taliban reached Kabul and ousted the elected government of Afghanistan has wrong-footed most countries. As nations, including India, scramble to evacuate diplomatic and other personnel, the vital next step lies in crafting a credible response to the second term of this rogue regime. Aware perhaps of its less-than-salubrious international reputation, Taliban leaders have suggested that Taliban 2.0 is unlikely to operate in a diplomatic vacuum. Such moves may earn it grudging international legitimacy, but, realistically, prospects of a kinder gentler Taliban appear remote. Its brutal reassertion of Sharia law in the territories it has