Analysis: Why did Kabul fall so easily into the Taliban's hands?

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

60% : On the other hand, Russia, China and Iran enjoyed showcasing the diminishing US influence in the region by hosting some of the Taliban's leaders in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.
46% : My first encounter with Afghans was not with one of the 3.5 million Afghan refugees in Iran, my motherland, but in India where I was a student.
43% : It seems the only factor that might alter the current scenario in favour of the anti-Taliban faction would be the behaviour of the Taliban in Kabul, i.e. if they take extreme measures against Afghans' basic human rights, forcing the United Nations and the world community to react.
37% : The European Union, however, will remain sceptical of 'pragmatic radicals' who are trying to assure the West that they are a 'new Taliban' who respect human rights, specifically those of Afghan women.

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