On Tuesday February 18th, the Taliban interim government of Afghanistan sent a diplomatic mission to the Republic of Japan. this rather surprising development comes after nearly 3 years of quiet from the west for the shaky and unstable nation of Afghanistan. Now, the purpose of this visit is relatively unknown, however the deputy economy minister, Latif Nazari, posted on X that “a high-level delegation” was headed to Japan and that the Taliban seek dignified engagement with the world as an “active member of the international community.”. Now, the visit was initially proposed by the Nippon Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing humanitarian awareness around the globe. However talks began between the Taliban and the Japanese government, eventually turning the invitation into a formal delegation. One of the unspoken reasons why the Taliban have visited Japan is the fact that there was recently an ISIS bombing outside the Afghan Economic department in Kabul. The recent rise in ISIS attacks such as in Syria, Russia, and even New Orleans might be a symbol of a strengthened ISIS which would be detrimental for the entire global community. The Taliban could be using this as an opportunity to work alongside Western nations against ISIS possibly in exchange for official recognition as well as maybe humanitarian aid. Japan and the West as a whole should take this as an opportunity to work with Afghanistan against ISIS. Every nation on earth hates ISIS, even other Islamic groups like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. However, the Taliban is a rooted local power that could be incredibly useful not only against ISIS but also as a possible counter to Iran’s power in the region. This visit by the Taliban also might signal a greater sense of stability for the war-torn nation and could help possibly gain international recognition.
This event can be connected back to class through the ideas of national interests and converging national interests. Both the west and Afghanistan have a common enemy and a common goal, the destruction of ISIS and their affiliates, if they are able to work a deal out, they would be able to both benefit.