Afghanistan Repositioned: Competing Powers and the Taliban State in 2026
Afghanistan has re-emerged in 2026 as a central arena of geopolitical competition—not through war, but through diplomacy, security coordination, and competing spheres of influence. The country has once again become a point where Western, European, and Eurasian interests intersect, each engaging with the Taliban for different strategic reasons. (Afghanistan has long been at the centre of geopolitics.) Rather than a unified international approach, Afghanistan is now shaped by overlapping and sometimes competing engagement strategies. Geopolitical games continue: a fragmented return of Afghanistan to global politics Afghanistan’s renewed relevance is driven by several interconnected developments: legal proceedings involving former Afghan power brokers, gradual reopening of diplomatic channels with the Taliban, and unresolved consequences of the 2021 political collapse. As a result, Afghanistan has re-entered international decision-making spaces across Europe, Eurasia, and neighboring regi...
