Ahmadinejad in Afghanistan
- Image by azrainman via Flickr
At the same time that U.S. troops in Afghanistan are putting their lives on the line fighting Taliban and al Qaida insurgents, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Kabul. As could be expected, Ahmadinejad has taken this opportunity to sharply criticize the U.S. for its military presence in Afghanistan, and to emphasize that Americans will never be able to bring peace to Afghanistan through military means. The Iranian President further stated that the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is only escalating tensions and creating a higher level of instability. In response to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, accused the Iranian leader of playing a “double game” in Afghanistan by professing support for the Afghan government while undermining U.S.-led efforts to improve the government and stabilize the country. As accusations fly back and forth between Washington and Tehran, the real truth of the matter is that Hamid Karzai is the one playing the “double game”.
- Image by World Economic Forum via Flickr
The Karzai government has received billions of dollars of foreign assistance by playing off Iran against the United States, and all the while enjoying protection from his enemies by the U.S. military. Out of one side of his mouth, Karzai thanked Ahmadinejad for his long-time assistance, and called the Islamic state a “real friend”. Out of the other side of his mouth he thanked Secretary Gates for American help in fighting off insurgents, and called America a friend of Afghanistan. Even as U.S. troops are engaging in deadly battles in the southern provinces, Mr. Karzai is discussing with Ahmadinejad the possibility of building a railroad linking Iran and Tajikistan through Afghanistan.
It should come as no surprise that the Afghan government is interested in building a stronger alliance with their Muslim brothers in Iran. Not only do both countries share a thousand mile border, but Iran, being the dominant power in the region, is clearly in a position to influence internal policy in Afghanistan when the time is right. At the present time, Tehran is content to let American blood be spilled battling the insurgents, knowing full well that when the battle is over, and American troops leave the region, the Afghans will elect a pro-Iranian government. For the Iranians, what cannot be reasonably obtained on the battlefield will be eventually be obtained through the ballot box.
-Rich
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A quick look at the map shows Afghanistan’s only way to join the rest of the world is to have road and railsystem that goes from Pakistan to Iran and out to Europe.
Without this all efforts to bring the “country” into 21th century is futile.
Although it makes me rethink my belief that Ahmadinejad said it, I guess even a broken clock can be right once a day.
Iran. Afghanistan. Pakistan. Al qaida. The Taliban. The United States. Each player comes into the great game with an agenda that may overlap with some players, conflict with other players or be a little bit of both. Seems to me Karzai is just thinking long-term towards the day when we leave and he has to get along all by himself with his neighbors. Why shouldn’t he?
There’s no politics like realpolitik.
The Iranians and Afghans are not really brothers. A majority of Afghans are Sunni while a majority of Iranians are Shia. Most Afghans are also of a different make-up than most Persians are and don’t speak the same language.
The Afghans are generally opposed to Iran/Persia as their history was one of Persian dominance. Most of the tribes dislike Iran. Iranians also donate money to the Shia in Afghanistan not the Sunni and, as a result, the Shia generally are richer but with most Afghans being Sunni this causes Iran to be disliked.
I do not foresee anything but some of the border tribes going for Iran.
Project Savior,
There can be little doubt that the Afghans are going to do what’s in their own best interest. They must live in their own neighborhood, and the Irani’s are the biggest kid on the block.
Windroot,
I totally agree with your comment. It makes me wonder what the U.S. can possibly accomplish by sacrificing American blood on the battlefield, when the Afghani’s will eventually do what’s in their own self-interest, given their position in their own neighborhood.
Harrison,
Thanks for your clarifications regarding Afghan/Irani animosities. I think that we are entering a whole new period of “Persian” dominance in the region, and that eventually Afghanistan and (for that matter) Iraq will both fall under the domination of Tehran. The main point of my post was to question whether the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan could ever really accomplish anything.