Bhaskar Chakravorti is quoted in this article about how internet tech companies such as Google and Facebook should address the Taliban’s social media presence now that it is a governmental entity in Afghanistan. 

Excerpt from “Facebook, Twitter Face High-Stakes Choice on a Voice for Taliban”, Naomi Nix, Bloomberg.

“If tech platforms decide to hand the Taliban greater access, the group will try to use social media to gain legitimacy by portraying the organization as kinder and gentler than in years past, experts say. It will also seek to push back against Western media reports about potentially dire and violent conditions on the ground in Afghanistan as the group reassembles its power in the capital, Kabul. 

‘The Taliban are also now coming into power with the intent of essentially Taliban 2.0 being a softer, gentler Taliban,’ said Bhaskar Chakravorti, the dean of global business at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. ‘They are likely to want to project that propaganda.’ 

Earlier this week, the Taliban pledged to build an inclusive government that protects the rights of women “within the bounds of Sharia law.” During the Taliban’s prior reign in Afghanistan, the group supported an extremely conservative interpretation of Sharia laws that saw women face stoning or execution for non-compliance.”