| ID | 190890 |
| Title Proper | Taliban and their Machiavellian moment |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Solhdoost, Mohsen |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The Taliban 2.0 have made overtures to states across different regions to seek international recognition. In a departure from their past isolationist foreign policy practices, I argue the Taliban have expediently, yet uncharacteristically, pursued these initiatives in a spirit of “pragmatism.” The modus vivendi they have reached with Iran demonstrates the Taliban’s unprecedented prioritization of pragmatism over ideology. I draw upon Machiavellian pragmatism in International Relations theory to examine the shift in the Taliban’s political posture through the lens of Iran–Afghanistan relations in three crucial episodes: the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, the post-9/11 Afghanistan, and the resurgence of the Taliban since August 2021. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Asian and African Studies Vol. 58, No.4; Jun 2023: p.518–534 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Asian and African Studies 2023-05 58, 4 |
| Key Words | Iran ; Taliban ; Pragmatism ; Machiavelli ; Foreign Policy |