AI Summary
5 min readFive years after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the country has found an uneasy peace. Violence has fallen sharply, and the streets of Kabul are busy with traffic and commerce. But that calm masks a harsh consolidation of power by hardliners, a devastated economy, and a population, particularly women and girls, whose freedoms have been steadily erased. The Economist’s South Asia bureau chief, Tom Sass, spent ten days traveling through Kabul, Herat, and Kandahar, covering about a thousand kilometers, and found a nation where the absence of war has not brought prosperity, and where the outside world’s strategy of isolation has failed to produce the moderation it hoped for.
The hardliners tighten their grip
The most significant political development since the Taliban takeover is the consolidation of power by the faction led by the Emir, Haibatullah Akhundzada, who is based in Kandahar, the movement’s spiritual home. Sass reports that the Emir has concentrated authority by seizing control of economic resources—particularly mining contracts and other revenue streams—which now flow directly to him. He has also built up a Praetorian force of about 8,000 fighters separate from the national army, loyal only to him, and has installed his loyalists as governors in provinces across the country.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:47) **The Return of the Taliban: Five Years On** - Tom Sass, The Economist's South Asia bureau chief, reports from Afghanistan on the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power.
- 2 (03:41) **The Hardliners' Grip and the Crushing of Moderates** - Tom explains how the Emir has concentrated economic and military power in Kandahar, sidelining more moderate Taliban figures.
- 3 (06:17) **Daily Life: "Peace, but Our Pockets Are Empty"** - Tom reports on the severe economic and humanitarian crisis facing ordinary Afghans.
- 4 (07:57) **The Madrasa Workaround: A Glimpse of Hope and Despair** - Tom visits a secret school in Kabul where teenage girls get an education, revealing both resilience and a bleak outlook for the future.
- 5 (08:43) **A Pariah State with Regional Ties** - Tom outlines Afghanistan's international isolation and its limited, pragmatic relationships with neighboring countries.
- 6 (09:48) **The West's Failed Strategy and a New Reality** - Tom argues that the West's coercive approach—withholding recognition and aid—has failed to moderate the regime, forcing a painful reckoning.
- 7 (13:11) **Colombia Earthquake: A Crisis of "Two Colombias"** - Claire McQue reports from Colombia on the aftermath of a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake that has exposed deep regional inequalities.
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Show Notes
Five years after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban show little sign of moderation. Our correspondent reports from the country on what life is like for ordinary people. A giant earthquake reveals two very different Colombias. And celebrating the life of Gurkha climber, Nirmal Purja, who died in an avalanche.
Watch extended clips from Insider here, plus the full Elon Musk interview.
Guests and host:
- Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief
- Claire McQue, Latin America writer
- Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
- Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Topics covered:
- Afghanistan, Taliban, sanctions
- Colombia, earthquake, Espriella
- Nirmal Purja, mountaineer, Everest, avalanche
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