By: Samadrita Goswami

Afghanistan has always been a fragmented state lacking little to no centralised authority. Afghanistan only came to be recognised as a sovereign state in 1919 after the Third Anglo-Afghan war.  Considering the geographic location, it was considered as a strategic buffer zone to the British, which was separating British India from Czarist Russia. The post-World War II era saw the beginning of bloc politics started between the US and the USSR and Afghanistan was brought in the middle of a new ‘Great Game’. Afghanistan, along with being a scattered state, came to be the most affected in experiencing a series of “hot” turmoil due to the politics of the cold war. Adhering to its name, Afghanistan is known as the Grave of Empires, it has always resisted against foreign invasion, from the British, Russians and finally, the Americans.

The Rise of the Taliban

Victoria Schofield states that the Soviets did not bring peace and prosperity but instigated the total breakdown of Afghanistan since 1979 which resulted in a jihadist uprising in the country that further took the shape of insurgency after the Soviet withdrawal of 1989. It has been brought to attention that these Afghan guerrillas were getting sufficient financial aids from the US between 1981 and 1985, the aid marked a significant rise from US$ 30 million to a staggering US$ 280 million. Given the geography of Afghanistan, there is not much scope for its agrarian aspirations so, it depended on the production of drugs, especially opium. It can be said that throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Afghanistan ran on the “generosity” of both the blocs who eventually suffered from a “donor fatigue” and left the country in a more deepened disaster.

Another aspect of the rise of the Taliban regime has to be the deficiency in the root of its problem that is education. Since the mid-1980s, Afghan Islamists established Islamic boarding schools with international funding which followed the traditional Deobandi school of Sunni Hanafi Islam. These young boys were educated in accordance to Islamist philosophy, which included military training, front-line engagement, and militant activities. In the late 1980s, alumni of these institutes became prominent preachers in mosques across Afghanistan and Pakistan, advocating for militant warfare.

According to Abdulkader Sinno, Afghanistan was never a liberal democracy where popular will inevitably resulted in a new ruler. Understanding how the Taliban’s objective led to ground successes is crucial for making a convincing case. Sinno gives some reasons as to why the Taliban regime rose to prominence by stating how they successfully incorporated local Pushtun leaders by appealing to their followers, using their specialised knowledge of Pushtun power dynamics, and capitalising their own momentum.

With the rise of the Taliban regime, the position of women has been an integral theme to be discussed. Although, oppression of women can be often associated with the Medieval Islamic world, it has to be considered that Muslim women, in the Middle Ages had the right to own property and often independently on contrary to the European Christian women in the era. Juan R.I. Cole tries to explore the workings in the public and private spheres in Western political thought relating it with the Afghan distinction of the inner and outer domain. Radical fundamentalism in any religion undermines a rational public realm, promoting authoritarian leadership, sexism, and religious domination.

Why did the Taliban regime die down

Hannah Arendt has pointed out, there are major distinctions between a popular movement in opposition and one facing the problems of governance once in power. Revolutionary movements can have underlying tensions resulting from the leader’s own personality and political ideas. Like many earlier revolutionary groups, the Taliban failed to differentiate between leading a popular military movement and operating a functioning state.

The most important factor as to why the Taliban regime became ineffective in 2001, was the invasion launched by the US after the 9/11 terrorist assault took place. In early October 2001, the United States initiated an air campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, while the United Front forces in northern Afghanistan captured Mazar-e Sharif. Soon the rest of their forces, which had been positioned in the Panjsher Valley north of Kabul, moved against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Kabul. In several major cities, such as Herat and Kabul, the city’s youth, who were fed up with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, took up arms and freed city centres before the arrival of United Front and coalition forces. This by no means guaranteed the Talibani regime’s annihilation but rather a hibernation which remerge to its fullest as the Ashraf Ghani’s government fell in 2021 coincided with the withdrawal of American troops.

The 2021 Taliban Takeover

The Afghan administration, supported by the US had lacked proper legitimacy and ability, monopolised international funding and established a massive corruption cartel. In 2020, under Trump administration, a negotiated peace agreement with the Taliban was signed, excluding the Afghan government. Since then, suspicion and tensions within the Afghan administration have grown. Finally, the Taliban took power but it also assured that Afghanistan would not be a breeding ground for terrorist activities against the US. Jhang Ji-Hyang points out that with the US presence in Afghanistan disintegrates, counter-terrorism would halt rapidly and the wanning of a liberal structure is inevitable.

Since the Taliban regained control in 2021, Afghanistan has faced enormous humanitarian and political issues. The international world has largely isolated the Taliban administration owing to concerns about human rights issues, notably those affecting women’s rights and minorities. Despite initial pledges of moderation, reports from 2023 and 2024 show a tightening authoritarian control, with severe Islamic rules being implemented more strictly. Afghanistan’s economy remains unstable, relying primarily on international help, which has declined under the current leadership. Furthermore, while the Taliban claim to be preventing terrorist activity on Afghan soil, regional instability has grown, increasing fears about the rebirth of extremist organizations. As the global geopolitical environment changes, the Taliban’s Afghanistan remains a focal point for worldwide discussions about terrorism and human rights and regional security.