Is the Taliban Calling the West Bluff?

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Matt Welch: If Afghanistan is so dependent on international money, it seems unwise to piss off those donors. He says the Taliban realized that the West is giving humanitarian aid not because of anything they do or don't do. "They're willing to call the West Bluff and govern their way in the knowledge that there will be humanitarian assistance," he says.

One year ago this week, when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, they promised to institute a modern form of Islamic government that honored women’s rights.

That promise evaporated with a sudden decision to prohibit girls from going to high school, prompting questions about which part of the Taliban is really running the country.

Guest: Matthieu Aikins, a writer based in Afghanistan for The New York Times and the author of “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees.”

Background reading:

After barring girls from high school — and harboring a leader of Al Qaeda — the Taliban risks jeopardizing the billions of dollars of global aid that keeps Afghans alive.

For more information on today’s episode, visit

nytimes.com/thedaily

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