After raising hopes all around of a well-rounded, well-represented cabinet in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s first few announcements regarding key government positions, like prime minister, foreign minister, interior minister, etc, have been something of a letdown so far. The Taliban’s own old guard, comprising mostly of its oldest, fiercest members, has been accommodated before anybody else and so far there’s no sign of Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, or even female, representation in the governing council. There’s still a number of positions to be filled, and the Taliban have promised to take everybody along, so perhaps the good news is yet to come. No doubt the Taliban understand that they will have to be a lot more flexible this time than their previous stint in government. Otherwise they will simply be deprived of the aid money they need to run the country. Western nations, led by America, who were beaten out of Afghanistan recently still retain this leverage over it. And it is, not surprisingly, the threat that they are holding over Kabul’s head now. Because if the new Taliban go about governing the country like they did in the 1990s, then there isn’t going to be any aid money for it. Already Washington has cut off its financial assistance, which was responsible for day-to-day running of Afghanistan, besides freezing the Afghan central bank’s assets abroad. But this is also a double-edged sword. If pushed too hard against the wall there is the risk of the Taliban turning to poppy cultivation, to balance their budget so to speak, and then the torrent of narcotics that will sweep through Asia, across Europe and eventually to the American continent will become a very big problem for everybody. And it is pretty much in the Taliban’s hands to avoid such a scenario. They must, for the sake of their country and this region, form an inclusive government as quickly as possible. That will go a long way towards ending the uncertainty that has descended upon the country and encourage key stakeholders, especially Pakistan, China and Russia, to take very active part in its rebuilding. It is sincerely hoped that the Taliban will not disappoint everybody who is affected by war and peace in Afghanistan. *