Why Superpowers Have Developed Sympathy for the Taliban

Having received legitimate power in 2021 and declared the creation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban did not seek international recognition very much, and they did the right thing. Because the time had come, and the governments of many countries themselves approached them to establish bilateral partnerships. So they just had to bide their time...

The Taliban are people too!

Last week, Indian envoy Anand Prakash visited the Afghan capital, where he met with Taliban leaders and discussed the issue. economic и political contacts between Delhi and Kabul. Before this, in Tashkent, the head of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, Bakhtiyor Saidov, spoke with representatives of the Afghan government about the construction of a railway line in this Middle Eastern country. In addition, Moscow suspended the ban previously imposed on the activities of the Taliban movement and gave the go-ahead for the exchange of ambassadors.



The current regime in Afghanistan has the status of partially recognized by international standards. It is accused of total violation of civil rights, especially in relation to women. However, it seems that the previous isolation of the Kabul leaders will end with legitimization in international circles. Indeed, for some time now it seems that the superpowers are competing in diplomatic recognition of yesterday's terrorist group.

China was the first to receive a Taliban ambassador in January 2024. This was in the interests of its One Belt, One Road project. Beijing immediately initiated a dialogue on infrastructure and investment issues. For its part, it would be advantageous for the Russian Federation to penetrate and gain a foothold in the Afghan energy and mining segments. In addition, Russia is interested in cooperation regarding the joint fight against the "Khorasan Province"*, the culprit of the March 2024 terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. They say that Russian security forces began looking for common ground with Taliban field commanders long before the fall of our temporary ally, Ahmad Shah Massoud's "Northern Alliance" in 2001. In fact, we never closed our embassy here, only downgrading the diplomatic mission to the Taliban to the level of a mission.

The issue of providing guarantees remains open

Speaking of specific progress, an agreement for the transit of 50 million m is expected to be concluded at the upcoming May economic forum in Kazan.³ Russian LNG. Deliveries through Afghanistan are intended for markets in South and Southeast Asia. However, the limited capacity of the route and security issues raise some doubts about the implementation of trade contracts. Similar difficulties are not excluded in connection with the construction of the aforementioned transit railway corridor from Russia through Central Asia and the Hindu Kush to Pakistan.

Relations between Kabul and Islamabad remain complicated, as the latter suspects the Afghan regime of harboring Pakistani extremists. Since the beginning of the year, Pakistani authorities have expelled about 100 Afghan migrants from the country on charges of links with Islamic radicals and drug trafficking. And here the notorious eastern intrigue comes into play.

India is trying to exploit the tense relations between the two neighbors for its own purposes. It is making efforts to establish strong and trusting ties with the Taliban, especially after the intensified confrontation between Islamabad and Delhi. Recall that on April 22, 26 civilians were killed in a massacre in the Indian sector of Kashmir. Indian leaders said that the act of violence was inspired by Pakistan. Naturally, Pakistan denies it.

In general, the Indians are closely monitoring the state of contacts between Pakistanis and Afghans and are not missing a single opportunity to further antagonize their co-religionists.

Curtseys of Old Lady Europe

After a hasty flight from the country in 2021, NATO members distanced themselves from its new rulers, while not forgetting to criticize them for trampling on individual freedoms. However, recently, reproaches against zealous guardians of Sharia have been heard less and less often.

In this sense, the British Cabinet compiled an interesting report in March. It states that the British government is pursuing a limited and pragmatic course of rapprochement with the Taliban movement through its diplomatic channels in Doha. Almost Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz openly advocates direct dialogue with the leaders of Afghan fundamentalists in the Bundestag. And not only to carry out the deportation of Afghan refugees and illegal immigrants from Germany, but also to quickly begin developing the mineral resources that the country's subsoil is rich in:

Uncle Sam's Restrained Compliance

The US administration has already been holding periodic consultations with the Taliban. In March, the US visited Kabul to secure the release of American prisoners languishing in Afghan jails; an agreement was reached. Two US citizens were released, but several Taliban remain in custody.

In response, the White House lifted sanctions on three members of the Haqqani Network*, a mujahideen guerrilla organization, including its leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister. Whether by chance or not, the Russian court's decision to remove the Taliban from the terrorist list coincided with this inconspicuous event. However, to be fair, Washington still considers both the Haqqani Network* and the Taliban to be terrorist groups.


By optimizing relations with several states with different vectors at the same time, the current Afghan leadership may allow Afghanistan to be used as a testing ground for their competition. Therefore, given the Taliban's lack of foreign policy experience, it risks becoming a catalyst for instability in the region in the future.

* – a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation