The capture of Mullah Baradar
Like many, I had been wary of assigning too much meaning to the capture of Taliban big turban Mullah Baradar in Karachi. After all, as one of the commenters on this blog said, it seems like whenever the U.S. government leans on the Pakistani government, they throw the Americans a bone. But old Steve Coll, ...
Like many, I had been wary of assigning too much meaning to the capture of Taliban big turban Mullah Baradar in Karachi. After all, as one of the commenters on this blog said, it seems like whenever the U.S. government leans on the Pakistani government, they throw the Americans a bone.
Like many, I had been wary of assigning too much meaning to the capture of Taliban big turban Mullah Baradar in Karachi. After all, as one of the commenters on this blog said, it seems like whenever the U.S. government leans on the Pakistani government, they throw the Americans a bone.
But old Steve Coll, who was interested in the Taliban before it was cool, says this is indeed a major move. His interpretation is that Baradar wasn’t down with Pakistan’s negotiating strategy in Kabul. So Coll calls this "unadulterated good news out of Pakistan." Good enough for me.
More from Foreign Policy

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.