Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and Professor Thomas Barfield discuss whether Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is becoming a “normal state.” While foreign powers engage with the new rulers, Barfield sees little sign of Afghanistan normalizing. Barfield explains that New Delhi’s calculus is driven less by affection for the Taliban and more by hostility toward Pakistan. These developments, Barfield argues, underscore that Afghanistan remains more a source of regional risk than a stable state. The Taliban may not themselves threaten the world, but Afghanistan still shelters groups with global ambitions, including the Islamic State. “Afghanistan is a land of arranged marriages,” he quips, “and nationalism is a romantic enterprise.”[Lee Thompson-Kolar edited this piece.]