The Afghanistan Question

Afghanistan lies in a pitiful region bordering the middle east. While many countries have moved on from their violent past, it seems it’s only getting a second birth in Afghanistan. So, what could be the answer to the Afghanistan question? Let’s find out.

 

Current situation

After about two decades, the Taliban is finally in power again. They took the opportunity given by the United States of America’s military withdrawal and have wreaked havoc in the country.

It was always assumed that the Americans have to leave Afghanistan one day. The effort against continuous guerrilla warfare wasn’t sustainable. But what surprised everyone the most is the pace at which the Taliban took over.

A US intelligence report expected the existing government of Afghanistan to fall within six months. But it took the Taliban a little more than a month to take over Afghanistan.

After taking over, the Taliban promised to tolerate human rights a little more than the last time they were in power. This was done as a show for international media. The actual situation on the ground is grim. Little by little, the Taliban is showing its true colors. They have banned women from participating in educational institutions. And they have been cruelly putting down any form of dissent.

Afghani kids

Afghanistan’s history

Afghanistan’s history is a bloodbath. We can say most nation’s history is as such. But the current brutality in Afghanistan gives us a renewed feeling of terror and a taste of the middle ages.

Many empires have risen from Afghanistan since ancient times. Greco-Bactrians, Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, and the Mughals are to name a few. These empires fought against their neighbors as civil wars and coups raged on. But to understand the current situation, we can start with the involvement of the Soviet Union.

After the Saur revolution, a communist party came into power in Afghanistan. This event turned Afghanistan from the middle of nowhere to an attraction to all the big powers. They brutally suppressed any dissidents. Then a rebel group called the Mujahideen took them to the task. Neighboring Pakistan, Soviet Union, and even the United States got involved. Even amidst the communist party, there were various factions, and a coup happened as a result. Being unhappy with the new leader, the Soviet Union finally decided to invade Afghanistan. They installed a puppet government. After the Soviets left, civil war began. Tons of infrastructure were destroyed in that long war. Tribal warlords took this opportunity and became strengthened.

Then infighting ensued amongst the rebel Mujahideen group and this birthed the Taliban faction. The Taliban took control of the nation and became infamous for their methods of conducting government.

The United States finally decided to attack Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to hand over the orchestrator of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden. The US quickly took control of the country with their superior military and formed a government. But the Taliban were not defeated. They continued guerrilla warfare for 20 years against the US and the Afghan government. Finally, after the withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan, we arrive at the current situation.

 

Why is Afghanistan always in turmoil?

Since the middle ages, one royal family has sabotaged another to get the throne in this region. And unlike a lot of other places, tribal warfare still plagues Afghanistan today. Different ethnic people reside in Afghanistan, with Pashtun being the majority. Tribalism is buried deep into the Pashtun culture. There are also a fair number of Tajiks and Uzbeks in Afghanistan. These tribes have their own way of doing things. A lot of the time one tribe does not tolerate the other. To them, tribal allegiance is more important than any kind of nationalism.

All this means Afghanistan lacks the nationalist zeal needed to hold it as a country. Various factions rise up again and again, and then even those factions get fragmented. Each faction has different goals. And the cultural norm means these factions are not afraid to use violence to achieve their goal.

To add to Afghanistan’s misery, they have attracted the superpowers in their geopolitical game over the last 40-odd years. Like the Soviets, the US has decided Afghanistan and its people mean nothing on the road to secure the US’s interests in the region. These superpowers have made the region even more unstable than it needed to be.

 

What’s the answer to the Afghanistan question?

Firstly, Afghanistan will achieve nothing with the Taliban at its helm, as they will always be a global target with their way of governance. But to remove the Taliban means another civil war or foreign intervention. Which might be the price Afghanistan has to pay for the final peace. But we should also consider other non-lethal solutions.

We can educate the masses in Afghanistan to bring them to the modern age. After knowing and learning about how the outside world achieved peace and some even live in luxury, they can change things from within without much bloodshed. But the hard part is the Taliban’s anti-education stance. They will not let the people of Afghanistan get another perspective except for their own.

Another thing would be to build infrastructures in Afghanistan. If the people of Afghanistan become well off, they will be much less prone to violence. People will not give up their cozy lifestyle easily to join some ideology. This is unlike people with nothing who can be convinced by any charismatic person to join a cause that seems greater than themselves.

 

What lies in the future of Afghanistan?

Afghanistan’s immediate future is grim. I don’t see any way they can function as a successful state in the next 20-odd years. But after that, many things can change. If China continues its interest in the region, it will be a good thing for Afghanistan. At least they will be better off than they are right now.

China won't tolerate religious fanaticism in a country of its interest. They most likely won't go to the path of the US. China is likely to invest in infrastructure and change the people's ideology from within. If that happens, I can see Afghanistan pulling out of its current situation in 30-50 years.