Six months to the day after taking power in Afghanistan, on August 15, 2021, the Taliban have been able to receive some geopolitical support. But major disagreements block their recognition.
While Afghanistan finds itself in a dramatic economic and health situation, two blocs have expressed differences regarding the status to be granted to the Taliban on the international scene.
“There is a rivalry that is emerging between one side with China, Russia, Central Asia, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar and Turkey, then on the other side, the United States and the Europeans. There is a country which is against the recognition of the Taliban in a radical way and which does not want to negotiate with them, even if it means having differences with other European countries like Germany, it is France”, explains Karim Pakzad , associate researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), for CNEWS.
Drugs and extremists in the sights
The reluctance of Westerners is mainly due to the liabilities of the organization, which governed in terror from 1996 to 2001, multiplying abuses.
However, even with their strategic allies, the Taliban have a major obstacle in their dialogues: the massive sale of drugs. “Afghanistan remains the first narco-state on the planet. 10% of Iranians are infected with Afghan heroin and hashish. Every time there are conversations between the Taliban and the Russians, we spit on this problem. For 20 years, an average of 30,000 young Russians have died each year due to Afghan heroin”, assures Jean-Charles Jauffret, professor emeritus of contemporary history at Sciences-Po Aix and author of the book “The Unfinished War: Afghanistan 2001-2013” (ed. Otherwise), in an interview with CNEWS.
Another problem pointed out in the country by its main partners is the existence of active terrorist and extremist groups. “What bothers China, Russia, Iran and the countries of Central Asia is the existence of more extremist groups than the Taliban, not only Daesh but other Uzbek or Uyghur terrorist organizations. Even Iran is afraid that Daesh will infiltrate the country from the eastern border. This is why these countries are still reluctant to recognize the Taliban unilaterally,” concluded Karim Pakzad, researcher at IRIS.
