Reluctant or Pragmatic? The GCC’s Policy towards Taliban-Led Afghanistan

AuthorB Poornima
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1177/23477970221130654
Published date01 December 2022
Date01 December 2022
Subject MatterResearch Articles
Research Article
Reluctant or Pragmatic?
The GCC’s Policy
towards Taliban-Led
Afghanistan
B Poornima1
Abstract
The Taliban’s capture of Kabul in 2021 has presented the neighbourhood and
beyond with layers of challenges to deal with, particularly for the Persian Gulf. On
the one hand, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members are concerned about
the repercussions of the change of guard in Kabul vis-à-vis terrorism and refugee-
related instability. On the other, the withdrawal of US forces has questioned their
policy priorities, leading them to consider variegating their international partners
for their security imperatives. The developing situation in Afghanistan can alter the
geopolitical equations in the Persian Gulf. The growing importance that Qatar has
received from the US and the Taliban due to its status as a mediator and Turkey’s
entry using the Doha card are among the main influencing factors. The GCC
governments neither praised nor criticised the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Their responses so far, though cautious and limited, have been pragmatic, putting
their national interest first. However, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar will continue
to be relevant in Afghan affairs either directly or indirectly through diplomatic and
economic overtures as they realise that a stable Afghanistan is in the best interest
of the GCC. Such moves are crucial to ensure the crisis does not spill over to the
Gulf. Through its diplomatic, economic and religious clout, the GCC can catalyse
the international community to devise a multi-pronged approach to bring peace
and stability to Afghanistan.
Keywords
GCC, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Taliban, Afghanistan
Journal of Asian Security
and International Affairs
9(3) 531–545, 2022
© The Author(s) 2022
Reprints and permissions:
in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
DOI: 10.1177/23477970221130654
journals.sagepub.com/home/aia
1 Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education,
Manipal, Karnataka, India
Corresponding author:
B Poornima, Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher
Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India.
E-mail: aminroopb@gmail.com

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