The pressing query of when and how Afghanistan will overcome its current impasse to establish a legitimate and acceptable system for its people and the global community continues to captivate everyone’s attention. This pivotal question has been at the forefront of discussions about Afghanistan for the past two years. Despite its apparent simplicity, no one has provided, nor currently possesses a clear and unambiguous answer. Each response is laden with various ifs and buts, complicating the quest for a definitive solution.
In a report meticulously prepared by the United Nations’ special coordinator on Afghanistan, the country’s challenges and the hardships faced by its people due to the prevailing situation are delicately addressed. The report outlines a roadmap for the global community’s engagement with the Taliban to navigate through the current deadlock. In response, the Taliban dismiss these criticisms, asserting that their government is all-inclusive, with the people of Afghanistan expressing satisfaction. They contend that the unsuccessful and infamous politicians of the past will not find a place in the desired power structure of the group.
The significance of this report lies in its demonstration that the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan is illegitimate and cannot be officially recognized in its current state. Despite the difficulties inherent in the governance of an illegitimate authority, declaring it as such is advantageous for the people of Afghanistan. It signifies that the lifespan of such authority is ephemeral and destined to come to an end. Furthermore, the report is intended for presentation to the United Nations Security Council, where actions, whether in the form of serious recommendations or compelling resolutions, will be taken. Whatever the outcome, it will have consequences for the Taliban. Compliance with the UN’s recommendations could lead to a transformative shift in the recent history of the country’s conflicts. Conversely, if the Taliban reject the UN recommendations, ample reasons will be provided to apply pressure, ranging from cutting off aid to creating opportunities for the group’s opponents, supporting popular resistance, and undertaking more substantial actions to overthrow it. This underscores the crucial role of both the report and its repercussions in the Security Council, instilling hope for breaking the current deadlock.
However, breaking the current impasse does not signal the end of the crisis; it is merely a preliminary step toward liberating Afghanistan from the tight grip it currently endures. For this initial step to pave the way for more significant and impactful measures, effective political activities must unfold, urging the Security Council to issue a clear and serious resolution. In this context, influential figures, political and civil institutions, and various parties and organizations must intensify their efforts to ensure the voices of the people in captivity are heard, the realities of the situation are more transparently reflected, and decisions are made in light of these revelations.
A critical factor influencing this process is the presence of an alternative force. Instead of fragmented and scattered small groups opposing the Taliban, a unified political front comprising diverse political and civil groups must emerge without delay. Over the past two years, the world eagerly awaited the consolidation of political groups and the emergence of an alternative force for any interaction with the Taliban or applying pressure on this group. However, the inability of other groups to overcome their fragmentation hindered the resolution of the deadlock. Now is the opportune moment for a turning of the page. Once such coherence is established, we anticipate a shift in events toward a new direction. The Taliban, with sufficient elements for retreat and defeat, have relied more on the dispersion of the opposing side than on their own capabilities and merits during this time of relative success.
The logic of the Taliban against the UN plan and the roadmap mentioned in the report is weak and lacks credibility. The group asserts that its system is all-inclusive, claiming sole authority in the power structure and that the government has fallen into the hands of a monopolistic group, leaving no room for any other political viewpoint. This fundamental flaw in the group’s control is so apparent that no one in the world today can deny it, including the closest governments in the region with warm relations. The world unanimously agrees that Afghanistan must have a comprehensive system, meaning the Taliban’s control is the exclusive control of an armed extremist group, and that’s it.
The Taliban contend that the people are satisfied with their rule because security has been established in the country—a security jeopardized by the group itself. Any sensible person knows that to determine the satisfaction of a society’s citizens, a mechanism such as polling, voting, or a referendum must be employed. In a place where all voices are silenced, all protests are met with suppression, and all critics are forced to leave their homeland, what criteria are there to prove the people’s satisfaction with its rule? Only in free and democratic conditions can the percentage of citizen satisfaction with a system be demonstrated and accepted.
Whenever the necessity of forming an all-inclusive government is mentioned, the Taliban asserts that the unsuccessful politicians of the past have no place in power. According to this group, only the representatives of the people are the true politicians, and the rest of the forty million are not considered in their calculations. This perspective on the people arises from the superficial and incorrect understanding of this group about society and its people. A few politicians, whether unsuccessful or successful, infamous or reputable, cannot in any way be representatives of an entire country. Just as their mistakes cannot be attributed to the entire nation, depriving forty million citizens of a land of their right to determine their destiny.
It is true that well-known political figures, despite their controversial political track records, are part of the political mosaic in Afghanistan. However, the political and social landscape of Afghanistan is much broader than can be reduced to the presence of a few contentious politicians. When it comes to the participation of the people and the presence of political forces, the goal of such involvement is the presentation of various political proposals, programs, and solutions, each reflecting the desires of different segments of society. The people, in the political sense of the word, are not just the residents of a land; they represent group aspirations and collective perspectives.
Therefore, the United Nations report emphasizes that the Taliban have failed in the promises they made to the global community. During the time they had the opportunity, they used it not to reform themselves but to consolidate their absolute power. Consequently, one should expect a change in the course of events in a different direction. Now it is the turn of civil and political groups to, through realignment and adopting a strategic approach, create a historical turning point to overcome the impasse and end the crisis.