Rebuilding Afghanistan

There have been significant positive developments in Afghanistan in the past six years.   Some of the more noticeable include, the successful Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the establishment of more or less successful governance structures, the multitude of development and reconstruction projects, the prioritization and conceptualization of the development needs of Afghanistan through the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, the establishment of the Afghan National Army and police, and the financial rehabilitation of the Afghan economy. Nonetheless, the challenges that remain get most of the attention and for the right reasons, as we cannot dwell on the success stories for too long before reality sinks in.

The bluntness exhibited in the following stipulations might not befit the politically correct stance of many in the filed, but I am applying my personal judgments, and would like to use this opportunity to state some politically incorrect realities that are often overlooked in policy discourse.

It is imperative that Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan is seen in light of the geopolitical significance of Afghanistan as a doorway to strategically important territories of Central Asia and the increasing importance of Iran as a regional power. We are not assuming any impending conflict between the US and Iran, nonetheless the foreign presence in Afghanistan within the context of US-Iran relations must figure into any analysis of Afghanistan and from this point of reference, we begin our discussion..

Afghanistan has seduced many world powers with its geographical position as a country often in crossroads to riches. Be it Alexander the Great attempting to go to Central Asia, or the Mongols on route to India, or the Soviet Union wanting to taste the warm waters of the Indian ocean; Afghanistan has often been the place that would have completed a perfect empire. Geography, however, is not constant; Afghanistan’s political significance has oscillated with historical developments since the end of the great game (the battle for central Asia between Russia and Great Britain). In the past, when the silk routes passing through the territory enriched cities like Balkh and Herat, this geographic position had functioned to the advantage of the inhabitants of the country. However, since Afghanistan assumed its significance as a buffer state between empires, it has often been a mere battle ground for the proxy wars of external interest groups to the extreme detriment of its inhabitants.

Despite Afghanistan’s periodic significance to various powers, the political significance of Afghanistan exercised few minds in the West before December 27, 1979, when the Soviet army began its airborne and armoured assault southward across the Amu river from Central Asia into Afghanistan. The country became the ultimate and final victim of the Cold War. Prior to Da’ud as Prime Minister, Afghanistan had attempted to remain neutral in WWII and the ensuing Cold War.   However, this became increasingly difficult as Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan deteriorated and the period of détente brought less aid from either party. Furthermore, Afghanistan’s fractious relations with Pakistan compelled it to seek aid from the Soviet Union as it was evident that the US was firmly on the side of Pakistan on the issue of Pashtunistan. This rickety relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan continues to be an impediment to security and development in Afghanistan.