Can Afghanistan Anchor a New Energy Route Around Hormuz?

The ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran is forcing a rethink about regional energy and trade routes. Afghanistan is a potential lynchpin of a new route that circumvents the Hormuz choke point, but Taliban control of the country calls into question Kabul’s viability as a connector to global markets. Afghanistan’s willingness and ability to participate in emerging energy and trade networks was a hotly debated topic among regional experts during a recent day-long discussion on Capitol Hill in Washington…