Of all the tough situations left by the previous administration for the Biden administration, the Afghanistan situation is uniquely complicated. Though, it would be fair to say that the Afghanistan situation was complicated from the moment the US went in 20 years ago. In these 20 years, the war in Afghanistan has turned into the longest and one of the most expensive engagements of the American military. 20 years and a couple of trillion dollars later and it is hard to say how permanent the US's achievements in the region are. While the US did manage to help set up a 'modern' nation in Afghanistan with a level of freedom and opportunity that did not exist previously in the region, it is difficult to say what would happen when the US leaves as it must at some point. There is growing domestic pressure to pull out from the region with the American public losing their appetite for interventionism. Each successive administration since the Bush administration has promised to pull out of Afghanistan. While troop reductions have been achieved, at least 2,500 American soldiers remain, alongside a greater number of NATO soldiers who are waiting for American directions. Even before Trump, the American military was increasingly aware that it had hit a stalemate in Afghanistan and that America, like many other empires before it, would fail to pacify Afghanistan. Donald Trump, who made recalling US troops from abroad one of his key election promises, decided to deliver on the promise during the last months of his presidency, perhaps in a bid to gather electoral support for his second term. He negotiated a new deal with the Taliban via Pakistan to bring an end to US-Taliban hostilities. In short, the deal held both sides to mutual non-violence against each other. The Taliban, additionally, promised to not perpetrate or sponsor terrorism against the US. The US in turn promised to start pulling out of Afghanistan with the entire process given the deadline of May 1, 2021. Meanwhile, the Taliban agreed to have peace talks with the Afghanistan government in Doha. The negotiations have, to say the least, been volatile. While the Taliban did agree to not harm American soldiers, it made no such promises for the Afghani side. Since the peace process started, the Taliban has actually stepped up its campaign of violence and intimidation. It has encroached on Afghani territory and targeted dissidents while carrying out multiple attacks on Afghani military forces. The Afghani side is none too pleased with the deal as it believes rightly that America cut it out of the decision-making process and has dumped the peace negotiations on their heads. America under Biden now faces a major decision as the May 1 deadline approaches. If the US pulls out as planned, then it will be able to cut its losses but also risk a reverse to US reputation that would be hard to recuperate. Not to mention the very real possibility that the Taliban could simply abandon the peace process with the US no longer around. On the other hand, if the US chooses to stay past May 1, then it must prepare for war as the Taliban has repeatedly hinted that its agreement of non-violence with the US is conditional on the US leaving by the agreed date. Biden also has the option of extending the pull-out in order to get a more concrete plan in place for the American pull-out. What this plan could be is unknown but it is safe to say that this option may offer Biden's best hope. As of now, it seems likely that this is the option Biden will be looking at. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has reached out to the Afghan side to express that the US wishes to set up an UN-organised meeting of Russia, China, Iran, India, Pakistan and the US to settle what happens when the US leaves. While it is presently unclear what the US intends to do going forward, Biden has expressed his wish to involve the other four aforementioned countries as a way of achieving more permanent peace in the region. In this regard, India's presence is a welcome mediating influence in the region. Both the Taliban and the Afghani government have at least on the surface welcomed India's help in recent years. As a senior democracy, India has helped Afghanistan by offering development assistance wherever possible, whether it be in the form of infrastructure projects or skill training. All of this, India has delivered without being prescriptive with its aid. India does not tell its allies what to do, rather it cooperates with them on their vision. This non-interfering and constructive approach has helped India become a mediating influence between different sides and has also given her an edge to counter the influence of Pakistan in the region as well.