The Comrades and the Mullahs: China, Afghanistan and the New Asian Geopolitics

by Ananth Krishnan, Stanly Johny

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has left a lasting impact on both Afghanistan's future and on Asian geopolitics. It has also brought China into focus. This book traces the emergence of China as a key player in Afghanistan and the evolution of China's Afghan policy especially with respect to its relations with the Taliban. Beijing's dominant role in Afghanistan's future is a potentially game-changing development in Asian geopolitics, even if questions remain about the former's appetite to step in to fill the void and the limits of its ambitions.

In The Comrades and the Mullahs, Ananth Krishnan and Stanly Johny examine what Beijing's interests are and the drivers of its foreign policy, and, more specifically, how its new Silk Road project-the Belt and Road Initiative-is shaping China-Afghan relations. They look at how Afghanistan has emerged as a key point on the corridor heading west from Xinjiang, and discuss the Xinjiang factor, drawing on their travels to China's western frontiers, as well as the internal dynamics that are pushing Beijing's westward march.

Another factor is the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the terror groups that are leading to an increasingly securitized approach to China's western regions and beyond, including possible Chinese plans to deploy special forces along the China-Afghan border areas in the Wakhan corridor and Badakhshan region.

China's Afghan engagement has also deepened its 'all-weather' alliance with Pakistan-with Beijing increasingly leaning on Islamabad, particularly in its outreach to the Taliban and other elements in Afghanistan that have long been supported by the Pakistani state-and is a perennial source of tension between Islamabad and Kabul. The authors show how this increasing closeness is alarming for India, and might have far-reaching consequences, especially in Kashmir.

Genres: Nonfiction, China, Politics, International Relations, History, Middle East, India

341 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2026

Reviews

[Anupama Mohan]

Well structured and sourced, Comrades and Mullahs is informative and engaging. Afghan, China, Pakistan and India, their engagements with each other and the motives that drives them are put in perspective.

[Akshat Upadhyay]

Full of repetitions, factual errors and falsities

[Ujan Dutta]

Very informative highlighting the list of events circling around Afghanistan - implications of invasion by foreign powers, their sudden withdrawal, rise of Taliban and how the super powers like China are betting on Taliban for their socioeconomic interests. One common thread running throughout this book is the perception of the superpowers to treat Afghanistan as a mere chessboard and exploiting the same for their own benefits. When we read about these stories sitting in India, we realize how privileged we are being born in a democracy!

[Nitish Sharma]

A masterpiece on international relations by two eminent persons of our times. A must-read for those who really want to establish an understanding of the implications of deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan and what is the role of China and western powers in this all juxtapositioning.

[Livre_monde]

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia,  bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Its geographical location, and current socio-political and economic condition with the Taliban 2.0 in the government make it one of the important players in Asian Geopolitics and with the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan in 2021, doors for China and Pakistan have opened up to use Afghanistan as their geopolitical playground. 


This book analyzes how Afghanistan had been traditionally at a junction point where multiple global powers tried to use it as their battleground without considering the interests of the common people of Afghanistan and how the exit of the US has created a void that China is trying to fill in with a lot of involvement from Pakistan. India, which is not very far away geographically, had been traditionally reluctant in recognizing and dealing with the Taliban government. However, with two of its major neighbors trying to get hold of Afghanistan as their tool to become important players in Asian geopolitics, India will have to change its approach albeit reluctantly. 


The first half of the book talks about the history of Afghanistan and the conditions leading to the creation, rise, and fall of the Taliban 1.0. The second half gives a detailed account of China's internal and external policy and priorities shaping its plans to fill the void created by the US's exit from Afghanistan. The last chapter deals with India, how it has been viewing and dealing with the political developments happening in its northern and western neighboring countries, and how the latest geopolitical developments are leading to major security threats for her. 


The strength of this book is the authors' writing style and structuring of chapters which is very engaging and makes the book a page-turner. However, content-wise there is very little that is not already known to the world through general media. Overall, it can be a good book for those readers who are new to Asian geopolitics and who want to know about Afghanistan, the Taliban, and China's policy towards terrorism and its neighboring countries. Others can give it a pass.


⭐⭐⭐.25/5

[Valay]

If you want to understand the Afghanistan tragedy, this is the book for you. It covers the Afghan politics right from the pre-Soviet era to the present day Taliban takeover. It not only gives a factual and well researched perspective on the political developments of Afghanistan but also contains a lot of trivia related to specific transactions, events and diplomatic exchanges.

China’s role in Afghanistan is discussed in depth and a specific chapter is given on the China-Pak axis, its effect on India and larger South Asian geopolitics. One of the best lucidly written book that keeps you engaged throughout and the chapter endings are cherry on the icing.

Recommended for the students of PSIR and otherwise.

[readers creators]

The complete withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan in 2020 was the most important topic in the news and it was just being accepted fully when the Taliban acquired Afghanistan and the world start blaming America for this. But how much do we know about the USA or Taliban, about Afghanistan for that matter? It will leave you stunned knowing about the history of it all and this book so brilliantly presents all the propaganda and motives, gain and loss, tricks and actions, and its impact on Asian Geopolitics.

China, which was not visible in the vicinity, how cleverly emerged as the key player amid all this. After reading this book, I was really shocked and even embarrassed at my ignorance about world affairs, when I have been sitting at my home calculating our government’s actions for the sake of the country, out there, countries are playing pachisi with a new strategy at every round and it is affecting not just a country but a whole continent.

The Taliban is the villain, right? How the hell is it dominating a whole country? Without any outer help? Well, don’t be too naïve. With general English, facts, and straight writing this book may be my first one on Geopolitics and yet it unfolded a whole new part of my brain filled with endless curiosity to know things.

Everything is connected and if we behave like something happening in a faraway country doesn’t affect us, no one is more stupid than us. The time I took to finish this book might be the reason for not having completely indulged myself in Geopolitics, but I am certain that I will read more books of this genre in the coming years.

[Pramod Divedi]

This book was a very recent buy. from BP books and periodicals Ranchi. The reason i picked the book was that it was contemprarry. Writeen by people who ave seen it all closely and covered it. It starts with a brief history of Afghanistan from the point British tried to contro it and how they failed and it moves further. The book isnt written from Indian perspective but did share the angle in one pf the chapters. The book shares the rise of modernising of Afghanistan to Communisim entering and why Soviet intervened followed by same mistake done by US, where in they tried to control it from far but later ended up stepping in and leaving with a bruised nose and pride. Its obvious that Pakistan is a major actor in that region because of lack of strategic depth within its own country but moment you see Afghanistan as its backyard strategic depth increases further. The rise of Taliban and then the fall and rise again and how erstwhile foes became freinds again. The mistake china isnt committing but seems its only a matter of time. Something they avoided in Pakistan but are now doing it which is bringing its boots on the ground be it PoK, Balochistan or even Tajikistan. The book shares deep details (something i have never read) about China's XinJiang problem and how Islamic Terrorism is affecting itself as well. Something where usual culprit Pakistan is involved as well. The India angle is here to say the least is laidback or may more watch and act. All in All a really Interetsing Read

[Darshan]

Kark Marx once said, "History repeats itself, first as a tragedy and then as a farce". In the case of Afghanistan, it has simply been a tragedy, followed by tragedy. From Mohammed Daoud Khan to Mohammad Najibullah and from Mullah Omar to Hibatullah Akhundzada. From Soviets to Americans and from Tajiks to Pashtuns; through all the churn and the changing positions on the chess board, there has only been one constant. That is the continued suffering of the innocent people of Afghanistan.

A must-read for students of geopolitics and International Politics especially from the Indian subcontinent. They have provided deep insights into historical and contemporary matters. The security and political factors mostly dominate the book, however, at times it also covers economic aspects of the respective matters. The structure of the book could not be any more perfect than this.

Overall enjoyed the book; Happy reading.

[Aparna]

This book details Afghanistan's modern history, from the 70s onwards, and demonstrates the decades-long interference in Afghanistan by other countries. The authors take us from Soviet Rule, to 9/11, American involvement and withdrawal, and the rise of the Taliban (in the 90s, and now in the 2020s). Finally, we come to China's growing relationship with Afghanistan, and the view from neighboring countries, India and Pakistan.

An interesting deep-dive into Afghanistan's tumultuous history. Well structured, but a bit dry and repetitive. I wonder why the authors skip British involvement almost entirely - the book briefly mentions the British Empire and the Cold War, but there's nothing on British involvement in the 21st century.

[Rajesh Lele]

A wonderful read, well researched and covering the current geopolitical situation in a comprehensive and yet, engaging manner.

The book traces the history of Afghanistan and its current context through its history and geography leading to the situation it currently faces. It also gives a good insight into the psychology of some of its neighbouring countries as well as distant ones, that have created the situation the Afghan people find themselves in.

A good one to savour and of course, keep in mind as things unfold from here on in.

[Harisundar]

A must read to know the geopolitics of Asian subcontinent, the rise of afghan jihad, Afghanistan's colonial struggles followed by the fight for influence by the two great powers of the era. An important read when the world is witnessing the resurgence of Taliban and its jihad. The decline of the US, India's security concerns and the overall stability of the continent are explained in order. Stanley Johny and Ananth Krishnan remain the best duo scholars to write on geopolitics of decades gone by and the present.

[Senthil Kumar Thiru]

I am an avid reader of Stanly Johny's pieces in The Hindu newspaper. This particular book enriched me about Afganistan's state of rule from.1973 to till date, Taliban's religious school of thought and much more about the Chinese Xinjiang province.
The book had some factual errors like bombings of American interests in Africa which occured in 1998 but it was incorrectly mentioned as 2008 twice.
Also most of the stories are repetitive which could have been avoided.
Looking forward to read author's earlier book on ISIS

[Ben]

Oh boy, this was an exceptional book.

Very interesting read.

Extremely well researched and written.

I learned a lot.

Important subject matter. Concerning

Would very much recommend.

4.8/5

[Vineeth Nair]

An average read. Covers Afghanistan's tryst with superpowers, China & India. Brings out nothing new from already known facts.

[CA]

Shallow, especially on china part.

[Navdeep Pundhir]

Very good first half, vey bad second half. On an average, a below average books

[Varunkumar]

The Comrades and the Mullahs -- Ananth Krishnan and Stanly Johny

After exit of US from Afghanistan, role which China would and could play in AfPak region acquires much more importance. Relationship of China and Afghanistan, with ever present factor of Pakistan, will define security neighborhood for India in foreseeable future

This book helps understand the context in which these relationships will develop in coming years. Taliban is unpredictable; Pakistan is ever mischievous in search of strategic depth; china is cautious, especially with security of CPEC and Xinjiang in view and rest of the world is watching closely

Altogether an informative and light reading