The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan After the Americans Left
By Hassan Abbas
Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300267886
320pp.

After the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban took control of the country. Since assuming power, the Taliban have closed girls’ schools, banned women from working for international organisations, and made it clear that “there will be no democratic system” in Afghanistan.

Against this backdrop, Hassan Abbas, an academic at the National Defense University in Washington DC, has written an informative and persuasive book to help make sense of the origins and ideology of Afghanistan’s new rulers and their plans to address the looming humanitarian, security, and political crises in the country.

The book has already been termed a “conspiracy” aimed at “disturbing the mentality of our [Taliban’s] system and officials.” Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, issued an official statement on Twitter in which Abbas was referred to as “an intelligence officer” and a “mercenary”.

The statement warned him that the Islamic Emirate is willing to make “sacrifices” to preserve its “independence”. Notably, Abbas is a distinguished scholar who advised at Harvard’s Belfer Centre and held the Quaid-i-Azam Chair at Columbia University before joining the National Defence University. The Taliban’s response signals his book’s revelation of their concealed ideology and politics, countering their efforts to remain opaque to the global community.

A well-researched and well-written book offers a nuanced perspective on understanding the politics of the Taliban and the future of their movement

Analysing the Taliban’s conquest of Kabul, Abbas underscores the collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s government due to its dependence on US support after the American withdrawal, a focal point of his narrative. Abbas then meticulously dissects the Taliban’s evolutionary phases — 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 — debunking misconceptions about their cohesion and inherent nature.

He traces their ideological roots to the Deobandi tradition, intricately woven with Salafism and Wahhabism, which transformed from an anti-colonial stance to a justification for armed jihad, strategically employed by the US, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan against the Soviets.

In the post-Soviet era, the Mujahideen-turned-Taliban’s influence endured, serving as a counterforce to US interests. Amidst US-Taliban negotiations, the Afghan security forces’ demoralisation converged with weakened institutions and a corrupt political elite, culminating in the Taliban’s victorious Kabul takeover.

The Taliban began their rule with some positive announcements, such as granting a “general amnesty” to anybody who had worked for the Americans in any capacity. The Taliban leaders also held a press conference on the eve of August 17, 2021, and assured the international community that “nobody will be harmed in Afghanistan.”

Following that, an all-male caretaker government was announced. Notably, Sirajuddin Haqqani, also known as Siraj and Khalifa and regarded as America’s most wanted man, assumed the role of Afghanistan’s interior minister, marking an intriguing development.

Abbas adeptly illuminates the Taliban’s governance theory through a dissection of Abdul Hakim Haqqani’s book Al-Imarah Al-Islamiah wa Nithamaha (The Islamic Emirate and Its System). Haqqani, now head of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court and endorsed by Taliban’s Supreme Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, assumes importance.

Although not official policy, this 320-page work holds relevance for grasping the Taliban’s vision. Haqqani emphasises the Islamic Emirate’s goal of Divine rule, obedience to the Ameer-ul-Momineen [Leader of the Faithful], aligning education with Islam and of women’s domestic role, and illustrates their anti-coeducation stance.

After the US withdrawal, divergences emerged among the Taliban factions. Abbas highlights an “invisible war” over issues such as girls’ education — an ideological clash between the traditionalist old guard and pragmatic new Taliban. The former leans anti-modern, while the latter, according to Abbas, pursues global ties and progress.

This evolving Taliban mindset offers Abbas optimism for reform. Abbas’s hope is also driven by another interesting reason: the country’s profound spiritual legacy. To many, Afghanistan is known as “the graveyard of empires”, but Abbas explains that it also used to be “the Home of Saints.”

However, the country has undergone an enforced ideological shift, jeopardising its mystical traditions, which are deeply intertwined with local poetry and languages. Abbas is hopeful that, despite the current threat to this mystical heritage, the enduring power of saints and their songs remains, capable of resurfacing in the future.

As the global and regional powers cautiously explore engagement options amidst concerns over the Taliban’s foreign policy, Pakistan’s role is intriguing yet worrisome, offering sanctuaries to the group in tribal areas, Quetta and Karachi. Notably, Mullah Mansour Akhtar used a Pakistani passport under the name ‘Wali Muhammad’ from 2006 to 2012, visiting Dubai and Bahrain.

Pakistan’s military has forged close ties with the Taliban, allegedly gaining influence in the Afghan administration. Figures like finance minister Hidayatullah Badri only assumed their positions after approval was sought from Pakistan. On the flip side, this alliance has also spawned groups such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the more informal Punjabi Taliban, which has posed internal security challenges for Pakistan.

Amid complexity, Abbas offers nuanced steps: engaging the Taliban through dialogue and negotiations, and aligning their recognition and economic goals with human rights imperatives. He envisions the tech-savvy new Taliban influencing Afghanistan’s trajectory, making direct engagement preferable to moralising.

Abbas underscores the rationality of the Taliban leaders and their pragmatic give-and-take stance, advocating for open communication with them. This approach, he suggests, can bridge divides and usher Afghanistan into a more stable future.

While this is the first comprehensive study addressing significant questions amidst an evolving and complex situation, and despite providing valuable insights, there are certain aspects that Abbas discusses with limited depth. For instance, the Taliban cannot be regarded as the first or only group with religious and political aspirations of establishing an Islamic state and implementing Sharia law.

Throughout history, there have been scholars and movements advocating for such goals. Additionally, the emergence of the Deobandi movement cannot be solely attributed to a response against British colonialism. The idea of attaining sovereignty and establishing an Islamic state has intellectual roots that can be traced back to mediaeval Islam. In essence, authoritarian politics in the Muslim world has a historical precedent that dates back to the early days of Islam.

Furthermore, while Abbas emphasises engaging with the Taliban and envisions a reform process — considering that the new Taliban want to be connected to the world — he does not discuss the potential role of ordinary Afghans, civil society, and public intellectuals, who are the real stakeholders and should be empowered to resist the Taliban’s anti-democratic rule.

It is crucial to note that Afghanistan is more than just the Taliban and their outdated orthodox ideology. The agency of the ordinary Afghans has to be acknowledged and respected. Therefore, the international community should prioritise nurturing democratic values and norms at the grassroots level and generating a societal demand for democracy. Relying solely on a top-down approach to democratising Afghanistan is unlikely to yield fruitful results.

The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan After the Americans Left is a well-researched and well-written book that offers a nuanced perspective on understanding the politics of the Taliban and the future of their movement. For readers new to this subject, it provides history, context, and a nuanced explanation of the Taliban and their politics.

For readers with a deeper understanding of these issues in the region, there are new facts that Abbas unveils from his interviews with important military and political figures. Policymakers in Washington and members of civil society worldwide should read this book to help Afghanistan democratise in the long run.

The reviewer is a PhD Scholar at Boston University in the US.

He tweets @Farah_adeed

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, August 20th, 2023