The Taliban: From State-Sponsorship to Statecraft

The comeback of the Taliban regime in 2021 largely results from the inability of states to eliminate the sources of funding and support that sustains terrorism. The reasons for why terrorism emerges and develops is better explained through contexts of state influence that create the environments to allow terrorism to become dominant in the first place. Using a case study of the Afghan Taliban, this paper argues states are the main contributors to terrorism by forfeiting security and economic needs to achieve political goals through weaponized ideology and manipulation of social bonds. The exploitable conditions allow terrorist groups to appeal to underserved populations. The origins of the Taliban are traced from state-sponsored influence during the Soviet-Afghan War and subsequent Afghan Civil Wars. The deliberate manipulation of politically salient social dynamics combined with poor economic infrastructure are identified causal factors of terrorism. The paper also challenges the view that terrorism is sustained through oppression and brutality, citing the evolution of Taliban rule where legitimacy and popularity can instead be derived from good governance and financial prosperity.