Have any of the four countries discussed in this piece helped out with Afghanistans food shortage? I gather that it was particularly severe in the fall after the American troops withdrew in such an ignominious fashion. (Once the Ukraine war started heating up the issue sort of fell off the front page, so to speak.) I would very much like to learn how things currently stand, as my support for Biden, undaunted by his precipitous withdrawal from the country, began to wobble after I read about the famine in The Economist and then saw a story about it on the PBS Newhour the same night.
Russia has been providing some wheat, including free of charge, but its export prices are reportedly still a bit too high for Afghanistan to afford (unless they reach some barter agreement though that might be lopsided to Moscow's favor if it's for minerals for example):
Pakistan must convince Taliban that Pakistan does not interfere with Afghanistan's internal affairs. I am afraid some issues might be traced to the British colonial period, if not earlier. The BLA problem seems unsolvable even if Balochistan is given high autonomy.
Interestingly Afghanistan recently completed a new road through the Wakhan corridor to the Chinese border. The reason for this (propaganda?) endeavor is to entice China to link up and improve infrastructure in Afghanistan.
China's reaction has been lukewarm at best. Only casually suggesting an off-ramp to Afghanistan from their economic corridor to Pakistan. It is not that China couldn't afford to link up to Afghanistan's far eastern border, it is obvious that they choose not too. Even though it makes perfect economic sense.
China remembers the Xinjiang revolts and knife attacks from a decade ago and the continued western support for an independent Uyghur state (aka West Turkistan) on Chinese soil. It is bad enough to control the borders with Pakistan and new borders with Afghanistan would only increase these problems.
Currently both the Wakhan corridor in Afghanistan and the bordering Chinese territories are inhospitable wastelands without roads or cities. I suspect that the Chinese want to keep it that way until they are absolutely certain that any new infrastructure in this region will not endanger their security.
Following vloggers reporting from the western Chinese border regions, it is interesting to note how many borders crossings have been shut tight by China in recent years. These closures do not only include the 'Stans' but nations like Myanmar as well.
The short of it; China is preparing for an inevitable showdown with the Collective West and is playing it safe by not endangering its border security in its far west.
Have any of the four countries discussed in this piece helped out with Afghanistans food shortage? I gather that it was particularly severe in the fall after the American troops withdrew in such an ignominious fashion. (Once the Ukraine war started heating up the issue sort of fell off the front page, so to speak.) I would very much like to learn how things currently stand, as my support for Biden, undaunted by his precipitous withdrawal from the country, began to wobble after I read about the famine in The Economist and then saw a story about it on the PBS Newhour the same night.
Russia has been providing some wheat, including free of charge, but its export prices are reportedly still a bit too high for Afghanistan to afford (unless they reach some barter agreement though that might be lopsided to Moscow's favor if it's for minerals for example):
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/28/taliban-signs-preliminary-deal-with-russia-to-buy-gas-wheat
https://tass.com/economy/1788527
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-189375
Pakistan must convince Taliban that Pakistan does not interfere with Afghanistan's internal affairs. I am afraid some issues might be traced to the British colonial period, if not earlier. The BLA problem seems unsolvable even if Balochistan is given high autonomy.
Interestingly Afghanistan recently completed a new road through the Wakhan corridor to the Chinese border. The reason for this (propaganda?) endeavor is to entice China to link up and improve infrastructure in Afghanistan.
China's reaction has been lukewarm at best. Only casually suggesting an off-ramp to Afghanistan from their economic corridor to Pakistan. It is not that China couldn't afford to link up to Afghanistan's far eastern border, it is obvious that they choose not too. Even though it makes perfect economic sense.
China remembers the Xinjiang revolts and knife attacks from a decade ago and the continued western support for an independent Uyghur state (aka West Turkistan) on Chinese soil. It is bad enough to control the borders with Pakistan and new borders with Afghanistan would only increase these problems.
Currently both the Wakhan corridor in Afghanistan and the bordering Chinese territories are inhospitable wastelands without roads or cities. I suspect that the Chinese want to keep it that way until they are absolutely certain that any new infrastructure in this region will not endanger their security.
Following vloggers reporting from the western Chinese border regions, it is interesting to note how many borders crossings have been shut tight by China in recent years. These closures do not only include the 'Stans' but nations like Myanmar as well.
The short of it; China is preparing for an inevitable showdown with the Collective West and is playing it safe by not endangering its border security in its far west.