In the international system, which is displaying signs of institutional paralysis, normative erosion, and fading influence of multilateral frameworks. India's evolving relationship with Afghanistan, which is ruled by the Taliban, is a key example of how countries deal with diplomatic legitimacy during times of compounding governance crises. India has not officially recognised the Taliban since they took power again in 2021 because they have concerns about ideological extremism, human rights abuses, and the democractic backsliding. India's continued informal engagement through infrastructure talks, humanitarian aid, and diplomacy, shows a measured kind of pragmatic accommodation. The case leads to significant questions: How do states balance normative obligations with security necessities when dealing with unrecognised or authoritarian regimes? What does India's transactional engagement indicate regarding the agency of the Global South in a post-Western order characterised by institutional decline and the diffusion of power that redefines diplomatic norms? The paper characterises India's approach as a form of strategic hedging in a context where conventional diplomacy has proven inadequate due to the resurgence of illiberalism and failures in governance. India's dual goals of countering Pakistan's influence and safeguarding regional investments while preserving its democratic identity show the larger conflicts between moral authority and material interests.
