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A Brief Political History Of Afghanistan

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 Zabihullah Dashti

Afghanistan

Afghanistan, which is located on the old historical Silk Road, is a country that
serves as a bridge between Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. Due to
its geopolitical location, it has been constantly exposed to the intervention of
regional and global powers throughout history. The first example of this is the
Persian ruler. For the first time before Christ (BC) In the fifth century, the Persian
ruler Dara (Darius I) organized an expedition to the region. It was followed by
Alexander the Great, Sakas, Ak-Huns, Arabs, Mongols and Baburians dominations
of this region.

In the middle of the 18th century, the Afghan state was established in the
region, but stability could not be achieved due to the continuous struggle for
power and the policy of exclusion against other ethnic groups. The ongoing power
 Zabihullah Dashti

struggle and instability in the country led to the intervention of the great powers.
The region, especially at the beginning of the 19th century, was the scene of the
Russian and British struggle for influence, known as the "Great Game" in history.

As an example, the British invaded Afghanistan three times in 1842, 1879

and 1919 to prevent the Soviet Union from capturing Afghanistan and advancing
into the Indian Ocean. During these years, Afghanistan served as a buffer zone
between the two powers.

At the same time, as a result of the rivalry of the Russians and the British,
the northern, eastern and southern borders of the country were determined.
Since these borders are determined in line with the interests of these countries,
the country has become a completely artificial country. Because ethnic groups
living within the borders of other countries today and having the same linguistic
and cultural ties have been separated from each other in the north and south. one
of the borders determined in this period, the Durand border line, fuels many
problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Durand border line, which was one of the borders determined in this period,
has negatively affected the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan for years
and prevented the development of cooperation between the two countries.

About 60 years later, the country was occupied by the Soviet Union, which
aimed to reach the İndian ocean by taking, Pakistan and İran under its influence.
The civil war that broke out shortly after the Soviet Union withdrew from
Afghanistan 10 years later plunged the country into complete chaos. During this
period, the entire infrastructure of the country was destroyed and left wounds
that cannot be healed.

Afghanistan, which was under the influence of the British from the middle
of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, declared its
independence in 1919. The British government recognized its independence
shortly after the Afghanistan war of independence. Although Afghanistan tried to
follow a foreign policy as an independent country, it was faced with the
 Zabihullah Dashti

intervention of regional forces. In particular, the Soviet Union tried to strengthen

its presence in Afghanistan and succeeded in taking this country under its
influence.

Finally, after about 60 years, Russia invaded Afghanistan to reach the Indian
Ocean as part of its expansion policy. Thus, Afghanistan became an area where
the cold war that started between the two superpowers after the second world
war turned into a hot conflict.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and caused the death of
hundreds of thousands of people along with economic and political crises. In
addition, during the occupation period, approximately 6 million people had to
migrate abroad. Especially in this period, thousands of educated and qualified
people who contributed to the development of the country had to migrate to
Europe and America, especially Iran and Pakistan.

Throughout the occupation, the United States and its regional allies
supported Mujahideen groups to defeat the Soviet Union. During this period,
Afghanistan became the center of radical groups coming from various parts of the
world to fight against the Russians. During this period, the warring groups
gathered in Afghanistan came to the point of threatening world security. However,
the Soviet Union had to leave Afghanistan 10 years later, like other powers, before
it could achieve its goals.

Although global and regional powers occupied the region easily, they could
not maintain their dominance in this region for a long time. The power that
dominates the region has been destroyed by other powers that want to dominate
the region. For this reason, this area is known in history as the "Graveyard of the
Empires".

Meanwhile, the USA stopped supporting the Mujahideen groups with the
withdrawal of the Soviet Union from the country and left Afghanistan to its own
devices. Mujahideen groups fighting against the Soviet Union took up arms against
each other because they could not agree on power sharing in the country. When
 Zabihullah Dashti

mujahideen groups could not share power, civil war broke out and the country
was plunged into complete chaos.

In Afghanistan, where different regions were controlled by different ethnic

groups leaders, the people have been exposed to the arbitrary rules and practices
of these commanders. The Taliban group emerged in Kandahar in 1994, at a time
when the people were fed up with war and disorder.

The people, fed up with the war, hoped that order would be restored with
the advance of the Taliban, who promised to restore order and justice. However,
the people was disappointed that the Taliban banned all women from working,
except for female health workers, and the closure of girls' schools. During this
period, many educated and government workers, including hundreds of
thousands of civilians, fled the country.

The Taliban movement, which emerged in Kandahar in 1994, captured the

capital Kabul in 1996 and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. During
this period, the Taliban, consisting of almost the same ethnic group, ruled the
country for five years. During this period, the Taliban opposed the establishment
of a comprehensive government in the country despite all the pressures. The
Taliban has been on the world agenda with its seizure of power and harsh
practices. However, the Taliban government did not recognize any country except
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Taliban government,
which the UN does not recognize, has become increasingly isolated.

Finally, the Taliban administration was overthrown for hosting the al-Qaeda
Leader, who was seen as responsible for the attacks against the United States on
September 11th. The last example is the military intervention of the USA in 2001
to overthrow the Taliban regime. The USA, which intervened militarily in 2001,
together with its allies, to establish a democratic government and ensure security
in Afghanistan, withdrew from Afghanistan 20 years later by signing an agreement
with the Taliban.
 Zabihullah Dashti

With this agreement, the USA and NATO withdrew their forces completely
on 22 July. On the evening of August 15, just three weeks after the US withdrawal,
the Taliban seized the presidential palace. Thus, after 20 years, the Taliban took
over the administration in Afghanistan and a new era began in the country.

Meanwhile, The US's withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years and the
Taliban's seizure of the Kabul administration in a short time changed the balance
of influence in the region. With the change of these balances, Afghanistan once
again became the scene of the struggle for influence of the regional powers due
to its position. Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran are the leading countries that are
willing to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of the USA and its allies from
Afghanistan and make efforts in this direction.

Compared to the 1990s, when it dominated Afghanistan, the Taliban are

more aware of the importance of recognition by the "international community"
and try to avoid a repeat of the same situation as in the past. The fact that the
Taliban met with officials from the United States, Russia, China, and other regional
countries clearly demonstrates that they are taking a different path to interact
with the world.

The Taliban, which has been trying to gain international legitimacy, has not
achieved any results so far. The Taliban failed to establish a comprehensive and
unifying government and to bring all ethnic groups together, which was necessary
to establish an atmosphere of trust in the country. Almost all donor countries
emphasize respecting basic human rights, especially women and minorities, and
taking steps in this direction.

In addition to the political crisis, one of the most important problems faced
by the Taliban administration is the economic crisis. In addition to all these, the
blocking of approximately 10 billion dollars belonging to the Central Bank of
Afghanistan by the Washington administration and the suspension of the
development projects of institutions such as the World Bank seriously affected the
 Zabihullah Dashti

country's economy. With these developments, the economic crisis has grown in
Afghanistan, where more than half of the population lives in poverty.

However, the drought experienced throughout the country negatively

affects people living in rural areas. With the economic crisis, the suspension of
foreign aid flowing to Afghanistan, which is completely dependent on foreign aid,
has brought the country to the brink of a new humanitarian crisis. Since the Central
Bank of Afghanistan is under Taliban control, access to the international banking
system and the country's foreign currency reserves has been blocked. For this
reason, the country's banking system faced the danger of collapse. The cessation
of these aids had a serious impact, especially on the health sector, which is
dependent on foreign aid. Many hospitals across the country were closed due to
lack of staff and equipment.

According to the WFP, over half of the country’s population lives below the
poverty line, and food insecurity is on the rise, largely due to conflict and insecurity
cutting off whole communities from livelihood opportunities. 22.8 million people
are identified as acutely food insecure, including hundreds of thousands who have
been displaced by conflict since the beginning of the year.

With the announcement of the USA's decision to withdraw from

Afghanistan, the countries of the region competed with each other to improve
their relations with the Taliban. But so far these states have not recognized the
Taliban rule. The countries of the region, just like the western countries, have been
emphasizing the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and
women's rights in all the meetings held in recent days. While the countries in the
region welcome the US withdrawal, they are also concerned about the resurgence
of radical groups in Afghanistan. Especially in recent days, the increasing attacks
of The Islamic State - Khorasan Province have increased the security concerns of
these countries.

İn recent days Many meetings were held with the participation of regional
and global powers related to Afghanistan. However, these states seem to be
 Zabihullah Dashti

reluctant to recognize the Taliban government. The Moscow summit began on

October 20 with representatives of the Taliban and representatives of ten
countries, including Russia, China, Iran, India and Pakistan. The United States,
however, did not attend the meeting. At the meeting, the Russian Foreign Minister
called for international humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

On October 27, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and

Russia's neighboring countries in Tehran issued a statement stressing that "a
comprehensive political structure with the participation of all ethnic groups is the
only solution to Afghanistan's problems." On November 19, the Troika Plus summit
of Pakistan, China, Russia, and the United States met in Islamabad, and its
members issued a statement calling on the Taliban to establish an inclusive
government, and " Provide equal rights for women and girls to participate in all
aspects of Afghan society ".

However, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaqi said in Islamabad,

"The international community wants us to build an inclusive government - our
current cabinet has met that requirement - we have representatives of all
ethnicities." Representatives of the United States, Britain and European countries
have also supported interaction with the Taliban government, but have
emphasized that they will not recognize the Taliban government any time soon.
These developments mostly affect the people of Afghanistan, who are struggling
with severe hunger.

It seems that to resolve the political legitimacy crisis in Afghanistan, the

Taliban are expected to take steps towards human rights alongside inclusive
government. If the political legitimacy problem in Afghanistan is not resolved as
soon as possible, there will be a great humanitarian disaster in the country. This
will naturally affect neighboring and regional countries as well. It is the
responsibility of all countries of the world to provide aid to the people of
Afghanistan struggling with hunger by keeping humanitarian aid out of politics in
order to avoid a humanitarian disaster.
 Zabihullah Dashti

Referans:

WFP Afghanistan,https://www.wfp.org/countries/afghanistan.

Habib, Hamidzadah, “Afghanistan in the fourteenth solar century; Civil War”,

https://8am.af/afghanistan-in-the-fourteenth-solar-century-civil-war/.

Abdulqayoom Sajjadi, Afghanistan foreign policy, 2018, Kabil: Vaje

Publications.

Yaqoob İbrahimi, “The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the dream of reaching
warm waters: two unrelated phenomena”, https://8am.af/soviet-invasion-of-
afghanistan-and-the-dream-of-hot-water-two-irrelevant-phenomena/.
AA,“Taliban have all-inclusive government in Afghanistan, claims acting foreign
minister”, ttps://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/taliban-have-all-inclusive-
government-in-afghanistan-claims-acting-foreign-minister/2419061.

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