Diplomacy Crisis: Trump Seeks to Mediate Taliban–Pakistan War He Helped Create

DID Press: US President Donald Trump has once again presented himself as a “peace mediator”, this time offering to help resolve the escalating border conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Speaking on Sunday, Trump claimed he “has a talent for ending wars” and “takes pride in making peace” — remarks that have sparked debate among analysts who note Washington’s direct role in creating many of the region’s current crises.

Observers say the ongoing instability in Afghanistan is a direct outcome of U.S. policies over the past two decades, particularly the hasty and poorly managed withdrawal of US forces in 2021 that paved the way for the Taliban’s return to power. The resulting power vacuum has not only destabilized Afghanistan but also strained Pakistan — a long-time U.S. ally and supporter of the Taliban — now facing the consequences of its own regional ambitions.

For decades, Washington and Islamabad have shared a transactional alliance built around Afghanistan. From supporting Mujahideen factions in the 1980s to hosting Doha peace talks with the Taliban, Pakistan has consistently acted as America’s gateway to Afghanistan. The partnership continued under Trump, who welcomed senior Pakistani officials — including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir — as part of his regional outreach.

Analysts describe this pattern as “diplomacy crisis” — a U.S. strategy of fueling conflicts and then positioning itself as the indispensable peace-broker. This approach, seen from the Middle East to South Asia, allows Washington to preserve influence while appearing as a stabilizing force.

The same dynamic is evident in Palestine, where the U.S. arms Israel for war while publicly advocating peace. In South Asia, US policies have similarly entangled Afghanistan and Pakistan in cycles of violence, only for U.S. officials — and now Trump — to step in as would-be mediators.

Foreign policy experts argue that such moves lack moral legitimacy and further erode regional trust in Washington’s diplomacy.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan are paying the human and security costs of a geopolitical game in which the U.S. remains the main beneficiary,” said one Kabul-based analyst.

Trump’s new mediation bid, critics say, represents the clearest example yet of US double-edged diplomacy — where peace is a slogan, and power remains the goal.

By Sayed Mohammad Mousavi | DID Press Agency