Scott Horton Show - Just the Interviews 12/5/25 Sangar Paykhar on the State of Afghanistan Today
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Dec 7, 2025 Sangar Paykhar, host of the Afghan Eye podcast, offers a critical look at the current state of Afghanistan. He explores the rise of the Taliban and their tactics in negotiating power, revealing rural grievances that influenced local loyalties. Paykhar discusses the Taliban's focus on governance over global jihad and the contentious relationship with Pakistan, especially following the Taliban's outreach to India. He also delves into the precarious position of the Hazara community and the emergence of ISIS-K, showcasing the complicated dynamics shaping Afghanistan today.
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Taliban As A Local, Practical Movement
- The Taliban emerged from rural conservative reaction to decades of crisis, not from a unified global ideology.
- Sangar Paykhar argues they are practical actors who may moderate over time as they govern and seek stability.
Road Trip To Badakhshan Shows Why People Joined
- Paykhar recounts driving to a remote Badakhshan valley with no roads to show rural isolation and poverty.
- He says local insecurity and abusive local power drove non-Pashtun communities to side with the Taliban despite ethnic differences.
People Were Armed But Worn Out
- Even when armed, many Afghans chose not to fight because they were exhausted by decades of conflict.
- Paykhar says the Taliban's rapid 2021 takeover reflected popular fatigue more than absolute support.
