Seamus Murphy: belief

Transcript context

…Do you think the more optimistic scenario is the Taliban reforms from within or the Taliban is somehow overthrown? I think reform from within. I was there last in December, and what I found was, there’s definitely the younger Taliban — and probably most of the Taliban — do not want the draconian rules that are being brought in, banning children, girls going to school. They want their sisters and their daughters to go to school. It’s widespread, and it’s not just in the cities. I came across this in the country as well. I think it’s the leadership in Kandahar and one or two people, really. I think that’s maybe not going to last forever. Hopefully, there will be some internal recalibration, and the Taliban open themselves up to more outside influence and things normalize. That would be a good scenario. I was thinking that when I was there, that actually is… it’s a very strong possibility. Eventually, that’ll happen, because I think also the country needs it. The country needs it economically. Do you have a sense of what the current birth rate is in Afghanistan?…

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