India’s Afghanistan policy needs to look beyond the great game to be effective

A vote in the United Nations’ Security Council last week recognised the United Nations’ formal presence in Afghanistan but avoided using the word Taliban. This compromise was the latest manifestation of the deep unease and confusion amongst international actors forced to reckon with the contemporary rise of religion in world politics. Shweta Singh calls attention to theoretical and strategic tropes tied to Enlightenment thinking and the Westphalian state system that, she argues, are similarly hampering India’s foreign-policy efforts towards the current reality in Afghanistan.