AFTER the Taliban's temporary victories this May, the Afghan civil war is once again heading for a stalemate, though the Taliban still hold anadvantage over the Northern Alliance. The civil strife also remains the focus of policymakers around the world. The spectre of a Taliban sweep, almost real just six weeks ago, has reactivated Russian interest. Not that Russia had been ignoring the Afghan situation, but the focus of attention was on European and NATO-related security concerns. This attention has marginally shifted to Central Asia and Afghanistan.