RASC News Agency: The Global Happiness Report of 2024 has illuminated a harsh reality that demands global political and academic attention: Afghanistan, even in the current year, maintains its status as the world’s most undesirable country. Afghanistanis harbor a fervent desire for independence and aspire to architect their own destiny, as evidenced by their determination to expel foreign powers from their land, spanning from the British Empire and Russia to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and America’s withdrawal in 2021.
The country’s geostrategic significance for power balance politics and energy policies has driven foreign actors to meddle in its internal affairs to such an extent that even after their ignominious exit, Afghanistan’s true independence remains a distant aspiration. The graveyard of empires has metamorphosed into a burial ground for radical elements within the nation.
The radicalization of Afghanistan society can be traced back to America’s support for insurgency against Soviet occupation in 1979 and Pakistan’s assistance in thwarting America’s strategic ambitions by training insurgent groups in schools. This endeavor aimed not only to satiate their appetite for financial and military aid from the United States but also to neutralize the problem. Despite being weaker compared to India, efforts to secure strategic depth against India in Afghanistan, aided by such forces, conferred legitimacy and rationale for the operations of radical groups. Other foreign players like Saudi Arabia provided financial backing to these groups, and a triangular alliance between the United States, Pakistan, and China was forged to counter the Soviet Union’s presence in Afghanistan. All these endeavors, while undermining Soviet dominance over Afghanistan, irreversibly radicalized Afghanistan society.
When Americans intervened in Afghanistan in 2001 under the guise of the “war on terror,” another wave of radicalization swept through Afghan society. To combat terrorism, US forces relied on Afghanistani warlords who were no less violent and powerful. The decades-long war, initially aimed at annihilating Al-Qaeda and later towards defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan, was somewhat successful in weakening the core of the Al-Qaeda group, but the Taliban in Afghanistan remained sufficiently flexible to undermine the resolve of American forces. With disgrace, the Americans withdrew from the country, transforming Afghanistan into a permanent cemetery for many Afghanistanis, Afghanistan security personnel, and American soldiers.
The war against the Taliban in Afghanistan created a lasting power vacuum where other radical elements like ISIS-Khorasan Province expanded their foothold, initiating attacks. Many other radical forces found sanctuary in lawless spaces, including insurgents aiming to foment instability in Central Asia and India. Aspiring for international recognition, the Taliban in Afghanistan, in the wake of America’s withdrawal, has only ensured the displacement of different radical elements rather than their eradication.
Power balance politics and energy policies have perpetually left foreign players unprepared to witness the expansion of their influence in Afghanistan. The balance of power between the Russian and British Empires in the 19th century, the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War, and the United States on one side and many regional powers on the other in the post-Cold War era have consistently kept Afghanistan entangled in global power politics.
Afghanistan’s position as a bridge between the heartland of Eurasia on one end and the Indian Ocean on the other has compelled foreign actors to vie for dominance in the country to maneuver their continental and maritime strategies. Consequently, when the Central Asian countries, rich in natural resources, emerged as independent international players after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia maintained its monopoly over energy policies.
Afghanistan emerged as a crucial bridge between the Central Asian region and the Indian Ocean for these foreign players’ strategies. This energy policy had a negative impact on the political scenario of Afghanistan, as stakeholders in the Afghanistan war and peace efforts chose sides, rendering any political solution to the conflict increasingly unattainable. The Taliban in Afghanistan and ISIS-Khorasan Province sought to manipulate such foreign dynamics to their advantage.
Geography as a Double-Edged Sword
While Afghanistan’s geographical position has long enticed foreign powers, for the nation itself, it represents a tragic predicament. Lacking direct access to the Indian Ocean and global markets, Afghanistan is heavily reliant on Pakistan for its trade and commerce. Conversely, Pakistan, by meddling in Afghanistan’s internal affairs to secure its strategic depth against India and entangling itself in the country’s political landscape, has cynically exploited this dependence to its advantage.
Radical elements have been trained and armed along the Pakistan border before being infiltrated into Afghan society. The dream of an independent Pashtunistan, offering Afghanistan access to the sea, was quashed by Pakistan under the guise of Islamic fundamentalism, nurturing jihadist factions such as the Taliban. Even under the current Taliban regime, Pakistan has launched attacks against radical factions, indicating their presence in Afghanistan through retaliatory strikes against Taliban provocations on Pakistani soil. These groups have seemingly found safe havens in Afghanistan, leading to the expulsion of many Afghanistanis from Pakistan and intensifying Islamabad’s efforts to stifle trade. With no legitimate internal revenue sources and constraints imposed on Afghanistan’s banking system, the return of millions from Pakistan poses significant economic challenges to the nation.
Additional Challenges Complicating the Lives of Ordinary Afghanistanis
Afghanistanis are deprived of the semblance of a functioning state, let alone the revitalization of socio-economic institutions. While the Taliban have pursued international recognition to legitimize their rule, little progress has been achieved beyond diplomatic overtures with a handful of neighboring nations. The recent Doha conference on Afghanistan, supported by the United Nations on February 18-19, 2024, collapsed due to the Taliban’s refusal to participate, further muddling international engagement with Afghanistan and fostering uncertainty.
Further critical issues impacting the daily lives of ordinary Afghanistanis include women’s rights, girls’ education (with 1.4 million girls deprived of secondary education), the urgent need for food and basic nutrition, and the imperative of ensuring continuous water supply amidst climate-induced water crises. Addressing the threat of landmines and explosives, safeguarding freedom of movement while protecting against forced displacement, demands immediate attention to enhance the well-being of ordinary Afghanistanis.
Actions to mitigate gender-based violence, child labor, and early marriages, exacerbated by the Taliban’s gender-discriminatory decrees, are imperative to restore social equilibrium in the country. Against the backdrop of warfare and devastation, psychological support and mental health care must be extended to Afghanistanis. The exclusion of women from society not only impedes humanitarian aid efforts but also deprives a substantial portion of the populace of vital services. Political meddling must cease, given its adverse impact on such initiatives. Secularizing the entire judiciary and legal apparatus and insulating them from political interference is essential, alongside rejuvenating the private sector of the economy.
All foreign stakeholders engaged in power dynamics or energy policy machinations in Afghanistan, along with various domestic radical factions maintaining intricate ties with these external actors to consolidate their influence domestically, bear undeniable responsibility for exacerbating the plight of Afghanistanis.
(The World Happiness Report, jointly crafted by Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the editorial board of “WHR,” was initially presented in 2012 to bolster the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.)
