Other neighbors would also pay a price should the Taliban’s seemingly invariable return turn bloody, however immune they believe they are. China, which has invested billions of dollars in developing Afghanistan’s natural resources –investments protected, ironically, by the US – would be certain to experience greater unrest in Xinjiang Province, home to millions of disaffected Muslims.
如果塔利班不可阻挡的卷土重来造成流血冲突，那么其他邻国也将付出代价，尽管它们自认为可以独善其身。中国在阿富汗有着数十亿美元的自然资源开发投资——讽刺的是，保护这些项目的乃是美国。作为数百万心怀不满的穆斯林的家园，新疆自治区将肯定会经历更大的动荡。