Securitication of Taliban Within the Framework of The Copenhagen School and Analysis of The USA's De-securitization Policy (2001-2021)

The attacks that the United States was subjected to at the beginning of the new millennium and its reaction to them are still current in international relations today. Focusing on Afghanistan after the attacks, the USA described the Taliban, which is in power there, as an existential threat. The Taliban was drawn into the securitization area and the public was persuaded to launch a military operation in the region. The impact of the American intervention, which started in 2001, lasted for twenty years. The Taliban, defined as an existential threat, could not be destroyed. On the other hand, in the face of strong resistance during the process, the administration of Afghanistan was handed over to the Taliban again by following a de-securitization strategy. The main problem of the article is how the US securitization policy against the Taliban has transformed. The study examines the course of action and contradictions against the subject of an existential threat to US security. This article analyzes the discourses of the US Presidents within the framework of the Copenhagen School. It also focused on the PEW Research Center's comprehensive research on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. After the long-term securitization struggle against the Taliban, it was concluded that this situation did not pose a vital threat when the control of the country was given back to the same actor.