Kabul

- With the Taliban movement taking control of Afghan territory and seizing the capital, Kabul, after the escape of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on August 15, a new phase began in the movement's path, as it transformed from an armed fighting group to a group that is expected to take over the reins of power in Afghanistan, which Devastated by war and exhausted by internal divisions.

Undoubtedly, there is a big difference between a fighting group that has specific goals and focuses its activity and struggle on fighting, and the movement that has taken control of the country and is now in charge of managing all state affairs, and citizens are waiting for it to rule and provide decent living conditions.

It is obvious at this stage that the Taliban movement - leadership and base - will find itself facing great responsibilities and challenges that require a great deal of awareness, sophistication and firmness in dealing with the new reality and its consequences.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the movement's deputy leader for political affairs, was referring to this fact when he said in his speech after the Taliban movement entered the city of Kabul, "From today the real test of the movement began."

The main challenges facing the Taliban movement after taking control of Afghanistan in the current situation can be summarized in the following points:

1- National Reconciliation

Immediately after taking control of Kabul, the Taliban movement began a project of national reconciliation and understanding with opponents and opponents to build the state, eliminate the possibility of war and rebellion, and lead the country towards political stability.

There is no doubt that political stability is the basis for building a strong state, the reconstruction of Afghanistan and economic development, and without it, stability cannot be achieved in the rest of life.

Perhaps the leaders of the Taliban are aware of an important fact, which is that the movement’s control by force of arms over Afghanistan does not necessarily mean eliminating the possibilities of war and the return of unrest. Internal and turmoil, and sincere and comprehensive national reconciliation is the real guarantee of the country's progress towards stability.


2- The security file

Security has been established in all parts of the country, especially the capital, Kabul, because security is the most important priority for Afghan citizens, and they have been denied it for the past 4 decades.

There is no doubt that the success of the Taliban movement in providing security for the citizens will be a key to other successes that will lead to the consolidation of the movement's feet in governing Afghanistan and increasing the people's confidence in it.

3- Transitional ruling

Establishing a government that runs the country in the transitional phase and enjoys the acceptance of the Afghan people and represents the Afghan society in its ethnic, cultural, geographical and sectarian diversity, and includes specialists and competencies, and jobs in it are not restricted to members and elements of the Taliban movement.

Here, observers believe that the leaders of the Taliban movement must realize the spirit of the times and be able to understand Afghanistan's need for a modern government that enjoys the approval of the Afghan people at home and is accepted by the international community abroad. the world with its complexities and conditions.


4- Afghan constitution

Creating the appropriate conditions and climate for the codification of a constitution for Afghanistan that constitutes the appropriate framework for building the state and establishing a modern and permanent political system for the country that will lead Afghanistan towards political stability and close the door to chaos and instability in a country that has been exhausted by civil wars and repeated foreign invasion for a period of more than 4 decades.

In addition, planning to improve the deteriorating economic situation of Afghanistan and bring in international aid for reconstruction and meet the basic needs of the country.

5- Afghan society changes

Appropriate and careful handling of the new reality that has emerged in Afghanistan during the past 20 years, as Afghan society today is different from what it was during the first Taliban rule in the nineties of the last century.

Unofficial statistics indicate that young people constitute about 60% of the total population of Afghanistan of 35 million, and this generation grew up in the era of the Internet, smart phones, computers, television, satellite channels and social networks, unlike the previous generation during the days of the first Taliban rule in the nineties of the last century, when it was It misses all these modern looks.

Here, it must be recalled that the great progress that took place in the fields of education and media in Afghanistan created a conscious generation that does not accept what is imposed on it by force of arms, but rather compares and balances ideas, attitudes and policies before it is convinced and accepts them. Perhaps the demonstrations that erupted on August 18 and 19 In the Afghan capital, Kabul, and cities such as Jalalabad, Khost and Asaadabad in Kunar province, in protest against the lowering of the Afghan flag and its replacement with the flag of the Taliban movement after the movement's control of Kabul is a good example of this.


6- International Relations

One of the most prominent challenges facing the Taliban government is how to deal with the file of relations with countries and international organizations in a way that strengthens trust and builds bridges and leaves no room for pushing Afghanistan into isolation and estrangement with the world, as happened during the previous rule of the Taliban movement, where only 3 countries recognized its government: Pakistan and the Kingdom Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

7- Media and freedom of expression

Dealing with the media and their freedom and freedom of expression is another challenge facing the rule of the Taliban. It is no longer the same as it was in the days of the movement’s first rule, when there was only one government radio station in the whole country. The Taliban changed its name from Radio Afghanistan to Sawt al-Sharia and closed the only official television and prevented women from Work in official positions, including the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Today, after the new control of the Taliban, the media in Afghanistan is no longer what it used to be. There are more than 100 television channels between satellite and local, more than 150 radio stations, dozens of newspapers and magazines, 8 news agencies, hundreds of platforms and websites, and the number of workers in the Afghan media sector exceeds Today, 10,000 people (a large proportion of them are women), and the number of users of smartphones and social networking sites is in the millions.

In view of this reality, it is difficult for the Taliban government to prevent or impose strict censorship on non-governmental media. Perhaps the leadership of the Taliban movement is well aware of the consequences of violating media freedom and placing strict restrictions on workers in this sector, which has witnessed great development and progress during the past 20 years.


8- Drug Challenge

The drug file and dealing with it is one of the major challenges to the Taliban’s rule, because Afghanistan after the American invasion became the largest drug-producing and exporting country in the world, and its cultivation is a source of livelihood for thousands of farmers, and the sums obtained from the cultivation and trade of drugs constitute an important proportion of the country’s income.

Despite the great propaganda of the government in Kabul since 2001 - which is supported by the United States and NATO countries - to combat drugs, the cultivation, manufacture and smuggling of drugs expanded in Afghanistan and became a source of income for many statesmen and some foreign parties, and it is ironic that pretending to fight drugs also It had turned into a lucrative business for smugglers, their associates within the government and international drug mafia networks.

9- Economy file

Advancement of Afghanistan's economy in the form of serious attention to infrastructure, provision of job opportunities for youth, and provision of basic services to citizens such as education, treatment, electricity, transportation and combating poverty constitutes a serious challenge for the future government of Afghanistan.

There is no doubt that the weak performance of the Taliban or its failure to reform the deteriorating economic situation will have catastrophic repercussions on Afghanistan and the movement.

These are some of the challenges facing the next government in Afghanistan, whether this government leads the Taliban movement or others. Undoubtedly, facing these challenges requires a high degree of knowledge, experience, know-how and acumen, in addition to nurturing the balance between the religious and intellectual background of the movement and the requirements of internal and international reality.

The question that preoccupies the minds of those interested in the Afghan issue is: Will the Taliban succeed in facing these challenges and turning them into opportunities by engaging other Afghans who are competent and experienced, and cooperating with all components of the people to advance the wheels of the state? It is difficult to answer the question at the moment.