(Shobhaa De is a novelist and a columnist. The article first appeared in Deccan Chronicle on August 21, 2021)
- India’s connections to Afghanistan go well beyond geopolitics in the perennially troubled region. Not all of us are experts at deciphering the tragedy unfolding virtually next door, but most are horrified and saddened by what they see on their television screens. With Kabul gone, the Taliban is back in control, and that is indeed an ominous sign for us, here in India, as well as for the rest of the watching world. Never mind that the big global players are being silent and distancing themselves from the carnage as innocents cower in fear, wondering about their fate. Familiar scenes of American military helicopters hovering over the city, evacuating their own, bring back disturbing memories of Vietnam and the resounding defeat of America at the hands of local nationalists determined to take on and chase out the American bullies…
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