The Enigma of Power: A Comprehensive Investigation into the Taliban’s Ascension to Power

Abstract

The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan has significantly shaped both regional and global security landscapes, leaving a lasting imprint on the country’s sociopolitical development. This study investigates the historical, geopolitical, and strategic factors behind the Taliban’s ascension to power, focusing on the roles of the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan’s internal dynamics. The rationale for this research lies in the urgent need to understand how foreign interventions, regional rivalries, and domestic power struggles have collectively contributed to long-term instability, offering lessons for future policy and global security. To address gaps in theoretical understanding and policy analysis, this research applies the lens of classical realism to examine how power dynamics and foreign policy decisions influenced Afghanistan’s trajectory. A qualitative methodology was adopted, utilizing both secondary literature and primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with specialists in U.S. foreign policy, regional security, and Afghan sociopolitical affairs. These diverse expert perspectives provided valuable insights into the global, regional, and domestic factors driving the Taliban’s rise. The findings reveal that U.S. intervention during the Afghan-Soviet War, Pakistan’s strategic imperatives, and the fragmentation of Afghan political authority collectively enabled the emergence of the Taliban. The discussion underscores the dominance of realpolitik and national self-interest over normative ideals in shaping historical outcomes. The study concludes that understanding the interplay of international, regional, and domestic forces is crucial for informing future foreign policy and conflict resolution strategies, particularly in contexts marked by prolonged instability and competing geopolitical interests.