Baker’s Dozen: What the West Doesn’t Get About Afghanistan

In this episode of Baker's Dozen, part of RANE's Insight series of podcasts, Rodger Baker speaks with Hameed Hakimi, an analyst and policy researcher focused among other things on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and regional connectivity between South and Central Asia. In the weeks since the Taliban took over Kabul and declared victory in Afghanistan, there has been no shortage of blame and recriminations passed around over the “loss” of Afghanistan and the chaotic final days of the U.S. presence in the country. Considerable attention has also been paid to the risks of terrorism or instability spilling from Afghanistan, and the social policies of the Taliban in Afghanistan. What is often missing is an understanding of Afghanistan, both in its internal construct and its regional context.