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As the Taliban rise in Afghanistan, the liberal West crumbles

As late as last month, US President Joe Biden was pushing back against suggestions that the Taliban could swiftly conquer Afghanistan

Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul (Photo: AP/PTI)
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Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul (Photo: AP/PTI)

Harsh V Pant
These are surreal times In Afghanistan. In a matter of hours, the old order had folded like nine pins and all that was left were the ruins of the last two decades.The new order is yet to emerge fully but the contours of that order can be discerned based on the past experience of the Afghan nation and the region. Even as the Taliban advance entered its final lap, the western intelligence was still predicting that Kabul could be taken in a matter of 30 days. But it took less than 30 hours for the Taliban fighters to reach the