For more than half a century, Afghanistan has been embroiled in internal conflicts. In the past century, the country has been occupied by three global powers –Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The withdrawal of the United States from the region has reshaped the geopolitical dynamics of inter-state relations. Prior to regaining power, the media affiliated with Taliban were replete with references to concepts such as Palestine, the liberation of Quds, and the necessity of liberation war. Following their return to power and in light of the constraints of governance, however, the rhetoric of the official media has become more formal and more conservative.
The present study examines the substantive shift in the tone of official Taliban media before and after their restoration to power. The central research question asks: what has caused this change, and which factors have contributed to it? The methodology employed is discourse analysis, supported by textual analysis tools. The article’s hypothesis posits that the imperatives of governance, along with the pursuit of international legitimacy, have reduced Taliban’s support for the Palestinian cause to the issuance of statements and minimal intervention. This shift in tone reflects the stark discursive change before and after the acquisition of power and stems from Taliban’s considerations for preserving their rule. National security concerns ‌–particularly the need to appeal to religious constituencies domestically and internationally– as well as the imperatives of securing international legitimacy, have led to Taliban’s retreat from substantive engagement to limited rhetorical support.