Politics of Afghanistan

The politics of Afghanistan are based on a totalitarian emirate within the Islamic theocracy in which the Taliban Movement holds a monopoly on power.^[1]^[2] Dissent is not permitted, and politics are mostly limited to internal Taliban policy debates and power struggles.^[3]^[4] As the government is provisional, there is no constitution or other basis for the rule of law. The structure is autocratic, with all power concentrated in the hands of the supreme leader and his clerical advisors.^[5] According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Afghanistan was as of 2023 the 4th least electoral democratic country in the world.^[6]

Afghanistan has been unstable for decades, with frequent coups, civil wars, and violent transfers of power. Most recently, the Taliban seized power in 2021 from the Western-backed Islamic Republic, and re-formed the government to implement a far stricter interpretation of Sharia law according to the Hanafi school.

^
*Sakhi, Nilofar (December 2022). "The Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan and Security Paradox". Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. 9 (3): 383–401. doi:10.1177/23477970221130882. S2CID 253945821. Afghanistan is now controlled by a militant group that operates out of a totalitarian ideology.
- Madadi, Sayed (6 September 2022). "Dysfunctional centralization and growing fragility under Taliban rule". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. In other words, the centralized political and governance institutions of the former republic were unaccountable enough that they now comfortably accommodate the totalitarian objectives of the Taliban without giving the people any chance to resist peacefully.
- Sadr, Omar (23 March 2022). "Afghanistan's Public Intellectuals Fail to Denounce the Taliban". Fair Observer. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. The Taliban government currently installed in Afghanistan is not simply another dictatorship. By all standards, it is a totalitarian regime.
- "Dismantlement of the Taliban regime is the only way forward for Afghanistan". Atlantic Council. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. As with any other ideological movement, the Taliban's Islamic government is transformative and totalitarian in nature.
- Akbari, Farkhondeh (7 March 2022). "The Risks Facing Hazaras in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan". George Washington University. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2022. In the Taliban's totalitarian Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, there is no meaningful political inclusivity or representation for Hazaras at any level.
^ Rahimi, Haroun; Shirvani, Ali (2021-10-25). "Is Taliban Story Going to be the Iranian Story? The Islamic Emirate v. the Guardianship of the Jurist (Wilayat Faqih)". Rochester, NY.
^ Mohammad Farshad Daryosh (22 July 2022). "Islamic Emirate Leader Bans 'Unproven Allegations' Against Members". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
^ Mehran, Weeda (16 August 2022). "The Taliban's Islamic Emirate: An Exclusive Mullah Government". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
^ Jones, Seth G. (December 2020). "Afghanistan's Future Emirate? The Taliban and the Struggle for Afghanistan". CTC Sentinel. 13 (11). Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
^ V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[1] *Sakhi, Nilofar (December 2022). "The Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan and Security Paradox". Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. 9 (3): 383–401. doi:10.1177/23477970221130882. S2CID 253945821. Afghanistan is now controlled by a militant group that operates out of a totalitarian ideology.
Madadi, Sayed (6 September 2022). "Dysfunctional centralization and growing fragility under Taliban rule". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. In other words, the centralized political and governance institutions of the former republic were unaccountable enough that they now comfortably accommodate the totalitarian objectives of the Taliban without giving the people any chance to resist peacefully.

Sadr, Omar (23 March 2022). "Afghanistan's Public Intellectuals Fail to Denounce the Taliban". Fair Observer. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. The Taliban government currently installed in Afghanistan is not simply another dictatorship. By all standards, it is a totalitarian regime.

"Dismantlement of the Taliban regime is the only way forward for Afghanistan". Atlantic Council. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. As with any other ideological movement, the Taliban's Islamic government is transformative and totalitarian in nature.

Akbari, Farkhondeh (7 March 2022). "The Risks Facing Hazaras in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan". George Washington University. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2022. In the Taliban's totalitarian Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, there is no meaningful political inclusivity or representation for Hazaras at any level.

[2] Madadi, Sayed (6 September 2022). "Dysfunctional centralization and growing fragility under Taliban rule". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. In other words, the centralized political and governance institutions of the former republic were unaccountable enough that they now comfortably accommodate the totalitarian objectives of the Taliban without giving the people any chance to resist peacefully.

[3] Sadr, Omar (23 March 2022). "Afghanistan's Public Intellectuals Fail to Denounce the Taliban". Fair Observer. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. The Taliban government currently installed in Afghanistan is not simply another dictatorship. By all standards, it is a totalitarian regime.

[4] "Dismantlement of the Taliban regime is the only way forward for Afghanistan". Atlantic Council. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022. As with any other ideological movement, the Taliban's Islamic government is transformative and totalitarian in nature.

[5] Akbari, Farkhondeh (7 March 2022). "The Risks Facing Hazaras in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan". George Washington University. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2022. In the Taliban's totalitarian Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, there is no meaningful political inclusivity or representation for Hazaras at any level.

[2] Rahimi, Haroun; Shirvani, Ali (2021-10-25). "Is Taliban Story Going to be the Iranian Story? The Islamic Emirate v. the Guardianship of the Jurist (Wilayat Faqih)". Rochester, NY.

[3] Mohammad Farshad Daryosh (22 July 2022). "Islamic Emirate Leader Bans 'Unproven Allegations' Against Members". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

[4] Mehran, Weeda (16 August 2022). "The Taliban's Islamic Emirate: An Exclusive Mullah Government". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

[CTC_Sentinel-5] Jones, Seth G. (December 2020). "Afghanistan's Future Emirate? The Taliban and the Struggle for Afghanistan". CTC Sentinel. 13 (11). Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.

[vdem_dataset-6] V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]