Article in Foreign Policy: The Taliban does not need the West

In an article published by the American magazine "Foreign Policy", the writer Azim Ibrahim said that the Afghan Taliban movement does not need the West, and that the new government it installed in Kabul will do whatever it wants, with the blessing of both Russia and China.

In the opinion of the author - who is director of the Washington-based Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy - Afghanistan's new rulers "are not a bunch of extremist bastards... they have proven to be highly organized, flexible, and savvy."

He stressed that the new rulers can manage the country's affairs well even without obtaining a seat at the United Nations, thanks to the recognition and support of China and Russia, which are members of the UN Security Council, which guarantees the Taliban their veto power to overturn any possible condemnation of the movement.

Ibrahim pointed out that many Western leaders issued statements - after the Taliban's rapid takeover of all of Afghanistan in conjunction with the withdrawal of US forces - urging the movement to respect the rights of ordinary citizens, women's rights and minorities, with an implicit promise to them that their commitment to these conditions will lead to recognition as The legitimate government of Afghanistan, and the continuation of external Western support for civil society organizations.

However, the problem - and the hadith of Azim Ibrahim - is that the West does not have authority over the Taliban, "which does not need the West's recognition or assistance."

Since losing power in the country in 2001, the movement has realized the importance of having allies to mobilize them in international crises.

I also learned how to avoid antagonizing others.

The writer expects the Taliban to refrain from getting involved with global "jihadist" networks that may attack other countries, as happened with Al-Qaeda in the 1990s, for example.

However, the movement will not do more than avoid entering into a direct confrontation with the West, and it does not need more than that in view of the "modest" working relationship with the West, as the Foreign Policy article put it.

The writer explains how the Taliban has maintained good relations with China and Russia for many years, to the extent that Moscow has publicly warned the West and demanded that it stop interfering in the affairs of Afghanistan.

This came at a time when most countries were evacuating their embassies' crews from Kabul with the movement's progress towards the Afghan capital.

It is now clear that the Taliban has already succeeded in establishing a network of allies in anticipation of any Western condemnation.

In addition, Beijing has already pledged to invest in the Afghan economy, particularly in the production of primary resources, which the movement hopes will compensate for the West's withdrawal of aid to the country.

Moreover, the Taliban government - according to the author of the article - can expect to establish a good working relationship with the State of Qatar, which has hosted the movement's leadership in recent years, as well as with Iran and Pakistan.

Ibrahim goes on to say that the Taliban leaders are not a handful of extremist mobs, and they are where they are today - after they have proven that they are "wild" - enjoying a high degree of organization, and seasoned with the plight of a country that has been witnessing constantly shifting alliances.

The speed with which the Taliban achieved victory and its inclusiveness is another guarantee that the emergence of "real" resistance such as the Northern Alliance, any time soon seems a remote possibility.

If the Taliban wanted to take revenge on those who cooperated with the Western occupation of their country, they could do so "whenever they wanted and whenever they wanted, and there is nothing anyone in the West can do about it."

According to the article, the statements of Western leaders regarding human rights and peace in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban seem completely hollow.

Namely, securing rural areas.

The article concludes that the United States and its allies will "voluntarily" leave Afghanistan to its fate as long as the Taliban's actions do not have repercussions for the West.