Mosaic Initiative: Reformulating a Failed Strategy and a Renewed Attempt to Contain the Taliban
(Translated)
News:
The United Nations Security Council recently held a special session to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. During this session, Rosa Otunbayeva, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), presented a new comprehensive framework called the "Mosaic Plan." She stressed that this initiative does not aim to "normalize the situation in Afghanistan" but seeks to promote the real interests of the Afghan people.
Comment:
The unveiling of the new plan follows the failure of the previous United Nations initiative, developed by Feridun Sinirlioğlu. Those efforts reached a dead end on two main fronts: first, the lack of international consensus on how to deal with the Taliban; and second, the Taliban's rejection of the UN-appointed special envoy, who was tasked with implementing the plan. In light of these obstacles, the United Nations has put forward a new initiative entitled "Mosaic".
To implement the previous strategy, the Doha meetings were held and lasted for three rounds. However, as mentioned earlier, the process faltered due to the challenges mentioned above. Now, a year later, the Doha process has resumed. On June 30 and July 1, 2025, Qatar hosted the third meeting of the Counter-Narcotics Committee and the second technical meeting between the Taliban and representatives of the international private sector. These two meetings were held as part of the fourth phase of the Doha process and within the framework of the implementation of the Mosaic Plan. Although the last meeting was technical in nature, it is widely seen as a prelude to future political talks. According to a statement issued on May 2, 2025, by Stephen Smith, spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the Mosaic Plan revolves around two main pillars:
- Establishing working groups to address urgent challenges facing the Afghan people, such as counter-narcotics efforts and private sector promotion.
- Addressing the fundamental obstacles to Afghanistan's return to the international system, in particular commitment to human rights and respect for international law.
Despite being presented as a new initiative, Mosaic is essentially a revised version of the previous plan. The strategic objectives have not changed, except for the modification of implementation and engagement methods. As Rosa Otunbayeva explained during the recent Security Council session on Afghanistan: "Meaningful engagement with Afghanistan aims to build a state that lives in peace with itself and its neighbors, adheres to its international obligations, and returns to integration into the international community - not a state that remains trapped in recurring cycles of violence."
This statement clearly indicates that the fundamental objective of the plan remains the gradual detachment of the Taliban from its Islamic vision, and its eventual integration into the secular global order.
A distinctive feature of the Mosaic Plan is its step-by-step strategy. In this framework, if the Taliban takes a step towards the international system, the West will respond with a similar step. This policy is based on gradual control and managed influence. However, the Taliban has so far failed to put forward a clear and coherent plan for the implementation of Islamic rule or a complete Islamic political system. The Western world has exploited this void, prompting the Taliban to adopt its own model. In contrast, Hizb ut-Tahrir, a principled and political Islamic party, presents a comprehensive, legitimate, and realistic vision for the establishment of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate, which is a project based entirely on the Islamic principle. Contrary to the gradual Western approach, this plan is not gradual but is based on Islam. According to Islam, sometimes sincere intention alone is enough for Allah Almighty to grant success and open the way for him. At other times, if a servant takes one step, Allah advances towards him steps, as stated in the hadith qudsi: "When a servant draws near to Me a hand span, I draw near to him an arm's length; and if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running." narrated by Bukhari and Muslim
Written for the Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Youssef Arsalan
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Afghanistan Province