Who Will Be The First To Recognize The Taliban?

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks at a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times

Slate: No One Wants to Be the First Country to Recognize the Taliban

“If the Taliban claim to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki

said on Aug. 6 in a statement that felt fairly toothless at the time and even more so a little over a week later when the Taliban overran Kabul. All the same, the Taliban’s initial pledges that it will not seek to punish those who worked for the U.S.-backed regime and wants to include women in its government are probably aimed at seeking the approval—or at least the toleration—of outside powers.

The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, it was an international pariah. Under heavy international sanction for its support for terrorism, abuses of human rights, and involvement in drug trafficking, it was officially recognized by just three other countries—Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Even those few allies backed away from the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks.

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WNU Editor: My money is on Pakistan recognizing the Taliban first.