Poll: Political Isolation of Taliban’s Caretaker Administration Tied to Lack of Inclusive Governance

DID Press: A significant portion of respondents in a recent DID Press survey identified absence of an inclusive government as the primary factor behind the Taliban caretaker administration’s political isolation on the international stage.

According to the poll, 37 percent of participants believe that the Taliban administration’s inability or unwillingness to form a broad-based government representing all ethnicities, political groups, and religious communities of Afghanistan has played a key role in preventing its recognition by the global community.

Ranking second and third, with 25 percent of votes each, were two other key factors: “violations of women’s rights” and “harboring terrorist groups.”

Since the Taliban’s return to power, these issues have been consistently highlighted in reports by international organizations and statements from Western nations as major obstacles to normalizing relations with the group.

Finally, 13 percent of respondents attributed the Taliban caretaker government’s isolation to “pressure from the United States and its allies.” Based on this view, even if certain domestic issues were resolved, Western sanctions and pressure policies continue to hinder international recognition of the caretaker administration.

Analysis of the findings indicates that public opinion places primary emphasis on the Taliban’s internal nature and power structure as the main barrier to international engagement—a clear message to the group’s leadership on the need to address these issues in order to improve foreign relations and end its political isolation.