Don’t Believe the “Taliban 2.0” Hype, Cautions Journalist Ahmed Rashid

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

GZERO Media

International Relations, Government, Foreign Policy, Gzero World, News Commentary, Trump, News, Global Economy, Geopolitics, Politics, Ian Bremmer

4.6 • 684 Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2021

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With the US gone and the Taliban back in control, Afghanistan faces a long winter. Mounting food insecurity and a crumbling economy have left many Afghans feeling abandoned. The international community could help solve this humanitarian crisis, but can they trust the Taliban? Ian Bremmer sat down with journalist and author Ahmed Rashid to learn more about the Taliban today. Few people know more about the Taliban than Rashid, who wrote the book on the group — literally. In the months after 9/11, his critically acclaimed 2000 study Taliban became a go-to reference as the US geared up to invade Afghanistan and knock the militant group from power. Twenty years later, how much has the group changed since the days of soccer-stadium executions, television bans, and blowing up world heritage sites?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The problem is that the Taliban ruled, but they did not govern. We don't have a Taliban policy
0:05.7	as to what they want to do regarding humanitarian relief.
0:12.2	Hello and welcome to the G0 World podcast. This is where you'll find extended versions of
0:17.6	my interviews on public television. I'm Ian Bremmer. And today today it's been three months since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
0:24.4	The Taliban remains firmly in control.
0:27.9	And as the country faces a bitter winter, the United Nations says that nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan
0:33.7	will experience food insecurity by March.
0:37.9	Can the Taliban stave off starvation for the people it now claims to govern?
0:42.7	And is there anything the international community can do to prevent this countdown to catastrophe
0:48.6	without emboldening a militant group known for its human rights abuses?
0:56.6	I speak to renowned journalist and author Ahmed Rashid. He wrote the critically acclaimed book, Taliban, militant Islam, oil, and
1:03.5	Fundamentalism in Central Asia way back in the year 2000. He says not a lot has changed with the group
1:10.7	since. I also welcome back to the show
1:13.5	Pashtana Durrani. And she was hiding in Afghanistan the last time we spoke no longer. In October,
1:20.9	she fled Kabul and is now, thankfully, in the United States. Let's get to it.
1:30.8	The G0 World podcast is brought to you by our founding sponsor, First Republic.
1:36.6	First Republic, a private bank and wealth management company,
1:40.4	understands the value of service, safety, and stability in today's uncertain world.
1:46.7	Visit firstrepublic.com to learn more.
1:50.4	This podcast is also brought to you by Walmart.
1:53.7	At Walmart, we are committed to creating opportunities for veterans.
1:57.9	That's why we've hired more than 250,000 since 2013 and more than 27,000 military spouses
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from GZERO Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of GZERO Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.