Between Silence and Resistance: A Fragmented Response of Afghan Civil Society Towards the Taliban’s Second Emirate

Abstract

The return of Taliban’s second emirate into power, on 15 august 2021, marked a decisive authoritarian reversal in Afghanistan. Following the withdrawal of international forces, the Taliban rapidly consolidated control over state institutions. This transition fundamentally reconfigured the working space for Afghan civil society. The purpose of this research is to analyze the responses of the Afghan civil society toward the Taliban regime, with a specific focus on their policies towards education, women's rights, and governance. In doing so, it also addresses the conceptual gap in west-centric understandings of Afghan civil society by highlighting Afghan civil society internal fragmentation and adaptative political strategies. Utilizing information from 17 in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with the civil society actors in Afghanistan and Pakistan, we came across three kinds of responses which can be categorized as strategic silence, vocal support, and vocal opposition. While many respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the Taliban's policies, the dominant response was strategic silence, which is a calculated reponse shaped by security risk, surveillance, and the erosion of organizational networks. The study conceptualizes strategic silence not as apathy, but as an adaptative political strategy under authoritarian consolidation. The study suggests that without an inclusive Afghan government, international recognition, and basic democratic rights, the Taliban regime will always be vulnerable to violence, instability, and eventual decline.