Today’s violent and complex world has drawn many historical analogies, particularly with the 1950s and the start of the Cold War. While the current geopolitical landscape does not feature two blocs in the Cold War sense, we can distinguish two families of countries or “worlds,” geographically, but above all politically and culturally.
U.S. technical consultation with Taliban authorities is necessary to advance specific and urgent interests, such as out-migration of Afghans processed for U.S. residency. But senior overtures to Taliban leadership would require a shift in the policy landscape. That may explain some recent actions taken by the Biden administration.
There is growing recognition in the West that multilateral institutions need to change to deal with worsening crises, as well as to respond to the legitimate demands of marginalized countries to be included in international decision-making. But there remains a lack of consensus on what a transformation of the global order entails.
