The U.S. Must Officially Recognize The Taliban

Although the true geographical center of Asia sits in Tuva, Russia on the outskirts of Mongolia, the political center of Asia lies over a thousand miles to the southwest. Since the beginning of written history, when Europe, the Orient, the Subcontinent, or the Near-East wanted to trade with, migrate to, or conquer one another, they did it through the region that is now called Afghanistan.

The nature of international relations has changed considerably over time, but Afghanistan remains one of the most strategically located countries in the world. It borders Pakistan, Iran, China, and three former Soviet republics. More importantly, it lies adjacent the Kashmir region over which India, Pakistan, and China (three nuclear-capable nations) have fought since 1948. Afghani stability is vital to the stability of this entire region.

Yet for Afghanistan, this stability has been an elusive dream. The effects of the brutal civil war that has raged since the Russian invasion of 1979 have been millions of deaths, the almost complete elimination of Afghanistan’s non-war-related industrial capacity, and agricultural disruption resulting in widespread famine and starvation. This deplorable state of affairs has thrown them into the arms of Pakistani military and financial aid, which has earned them the hatred of India and the mistrust of America.

Unfortunately, this mistrust between the United States and Afghanistan has been cyclical and self-reinforcing. The Taliban’s extremism and inscrutibility makes America uncomfortable with the idea of providing much needed financial and logistical support. This support is still needed, however, and when it cannot be acquired from the West, it is sought from more unsavory sources like weapons trafficking, poppy cultivation, and the abetting of international terrorists like Osama bin-Laden. This type of behavior makes them even more anathema to the governments of the West, who respond by creating sanctions, cutting off diplomatic contact, and denying access to international aid organizations. These efforts all serve to drive the Taliban, and therefore all Afghanistan, further into the periphery.

Heretofore, the consequences of the country’s rogue status have thankfully been minor. That is to say, it has perpetuated the nation’s poverty, disease, starvation, and conflict, but has not actually precipitated the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the mountains of Kashmir. The potential for widespread nuclear conflict remains, however, and a volitile Afghanistan only increases its likelihood. So long as this is the case, its stabilization must be considered the West’s greatest priority. In order to effect this stability, Europe and America must do all that is possible to broker peace, reconstruct the economy, improve the nation’s virtually nonexistant infrastructure, distribute massive food aid, and allow Afghanistan the opportunity to become a responsible member of the international community. None of this will be possible so long as the West refuses to deal directly with the government of Afghanistan, the Taliban.

This is the rub. The Western public has been to say the least shocked by the brutality, backwardness, and (from their perspective) general insanity of the Taliban’s leaders. This in itself is not a problem. The actions of Afghanistan’s rulers do indeed fall well outside of what the West considers to be acceptable conduct. It is right for the public to be shocked. The problem is that there are many people both inside and outside of government who believe that there must be a direct connection between official recognition of a government and the morality of that government’s conduct. This belief is wrongheaded and dangerous.

According to Western political tradition, a state by definition can have but one government that decides matters of foreign policy. Since there is often more than one group within a country’s borders claiming the right to determine the nation’s international policy, other governments must have a system established whereby they can correctly determine which of those groups is actually in power, so that they don’t waste time corresponding with people whose decisions do not matter.

That is the basis of the present system of official governmental recognition: To clearly indicate which group is really in control of a particular country. It should not be a present given by one government to another as a demonstration of mutual camaraderie, nor should it be a trophy won for having an exceptionally good record of human rights protection. For these purposes we already have state visits and Nobel Peace Prizes. When considering whether or not to recognize a government as the official voice of the state, the only question should be: Is this government truly in control of the nation?

In the case of the Taliban, the answer has been ‘yes’ for approximately three years. By 1998, the Taliban controlled somewhere between 65 and 85 percent of Afghanistan. Since that time they have held what they won and by now have increased the area under their control to as much as 90 percent. The only area of Afghanistan not under their control is a small section of the extreme north held by a loosely organized, Russian-funded confederation of ethnic groups, sectarian groups, and local military commanders. The Taliban is the only government capable of distributing food and medicine to outlying regions, it is the only government capable of putting an end to the trafficking of weapons and narcotics, and it is the only government capable of keeping the nation peaceful enough so as to allow the creation of industry vital to the economic well-being of the country.

Since the West wants very much for these things to happen, and since the Taliban is the only government that actually has the potential to get them done, it is of the utmost importance that Western nations grant this group official recognition and begin dealing constructively with them. Slighting, snubing, and publicly scolding them will not move them one inch towards the rejection of mass-murderers like Osama bin-Laden. Destroying the Afghan economy, thereby eliminating Afghanistan’s ability to feed itself, through the active creation of economic sanctions and the passive denial of foreign aid will not make them more receptive to our ideas concerning the proper treatment of women.

The West desires the Taliban to behave in a responsible manner towards both the other states of the region and its own people, but this will only take place as a result of constructive engagement existing within a context of mutual respect. The governments of the United States and Europe must work with the government of Afghanistan to reverse the devistation wrought by years of bloody warfare. A long road stands between this noble goal and the present, and the first step on this road is the official recognition of Afghanistan’s one true government: The Taliban.