Behind the Fall: The Internal Factors Driving the 2021 Collapse of Afghanistan's Government

Abstract

The Takeover Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 15, 2021, not only astonished the people of Afghanistan but also reverberated across the globe. Alongside external factors, this collapse was influenced by internal dynamics, which are explored in this article. Since the formation of the new Afghan government in 2001, the country had enjoyed international support and made significant strides in both domestic and foreign affairs.

However, the nationalistic policies of Afghan leaders, the reinforcement of Pashtunism, widespread corruption in governmental and non-governmental institutions, a centralized political system, failure to strengthen the process of state-building, fractured freedom of speech, lack of a clear definition of the enemy by the government, institutional irresponsibility towards consolidating the foundations of the state, politicization of military institutions, the countrification process of security sectors resulting in the removal of experienced generals from combat and their replacement with inexperienced youths, the rise of extremist ideologies in Afghan society, Taliban violence, support from mafia groups and smugglers for the Taliban, political parties and civil society's spectatorship of the government's decline, the signing of the Doha Agreement between the US and the Taliban without the presence of the Afghan government, the secretive enrichment of the Taliban within its own ranks, group and ethnic competitions among government leaders undermining state foundations, and the infiltration of foreign intelligence agencies into the Afghan government are among the fundamental factors contributing to the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.