The Taliban and Burkina Faso ambassadors pledge new trade and mining cooperation | AP News
The Burkina Faso and the Taliban’s acting ambassadors met in Tehran, Iran, to discuss possibly creating deeper ties between the two. The Taliban, who are the de facto rulers of Afghanistan, agreed with Burkina Faso about the possible cooperation when it comes to trade, agriculture, mining, and other professional skills trade. This meeting follows Burkina Faso’s withdrawal from ECOWAS, along with Mali and Niger, and the creation of their new alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States. These countries are focusing on the shift from Western alliances to non-Western Partners like Russia, Iran, and now the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.
This is significant because we can see the geopolitical shift from Western partnerships to more authoritarian states. The AES states are showing their changes in foreign policy as they are turning away from democratic states like the US or France and instead looking towards new regimes like the Taliban and Iran. Burkina Faso’s even having talks with the Taliban in the first place helps to lead to their legitimization on the international stage, as they aren’t widely recognized. The shift in the regional security policies may also lead to more instability or create proxy tensions, and they seek such a shift between the two powers.
Burkina Faso should be clear with their goals for this partnership and focus on the long-term goals of the state versus the short-term wants for political isolation from the Western powers. Close cooperation with the Taliban could hurt their relationships with other powers, as well as their diplomatic standing in general. Iran, as a possible partner, could use this as a way to build mutual support and avoid creating new regional divisions. Iran is also involved in some proxy dynamics within the Middle East, so they can’t let their involvement in Africa replicate that because it could cause more instability in Africa.
I can connect this to geopolitical realignment because of their clear shift in foreign policy and new military alliances. As Burkina Faso and the other AES states form their new alliance, they have sought out support from new authoritarian regimes.