Afghanistan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Afghanistan

The Priority of Maintaining a United and Stable Afghanistan

The issue of inter-ethnic relations in Afghanistan affects not only the country itself but also its surrounding region. Recent history has placed a heightened importance on the “nation” question in Afghanistan in terms of the country’s political and social stability. Since regaining power in 2021, the de facto Taliban authorities have focused primarily on social policies to respond to the people’s immediate needs as well as on implementing trade and economic cooperation with regional countries to realize the geo-economic potential of the country. To a large degree, they have been successful in these endeavors. The important question now is how the Taliban will work to synthesize various ethnic groups into a society that has a strong identity as a nation while preserving the Pashtun status quo and the legacy of Durrani statehood. Afghanistan in its current state is not ready for a federal structure, and outside actors pushing this now could possibly undermine its stability. On the other hand, the country and the wider region have a long history of diverse ethnic and national groups managing to find a way to coexist and function effectively. As the Afghan people try to overcome humanitarian crises and focus on their economic and social recovery, the Taliban’s strategy will likely continue to be based on the consolidation of ethnic groups around itself and under the umbrella of Islam, supported by measures of assimilation and expansion, as Pashtun rulers did in the country’s history. Understanding the historical role of ethnicity and nationality in Afghanistan So far, no modern regime in Afghanistan has been able to significantly advance the idea of “Afghan nationalism,” reflecting the national unity of the country’s people. Slogans about “one nation” have always been promoted by the capital, but did not necessarily reflect realities on the ground. The latest (2004) republican constitution states in its Article 4 that the Afghan nation consists of “Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Baluchis, Pashais, Nuristans, Aimaks, Arabs, Kyrgyz, Qizilbash, Gujars, Brahuis and other tribes,” and that the word “Afghan” applies to every citizen of Afghanistan. This multinational state has so far shown stability in its ethnic groups, but cannot demonstrate their synthesis into a society with a strong self-identification as the Afghan nation, and the term “Afghan” continues to serve as an exonym, a general name for the inhabitants of the country. After regaining power in 2021, the Taliban worked to stop a bloody civil war that had begun in 1978, but faced a set of problems including the big “national question.” Against the backdrop of demands from the international community to ensure an inclusive government, the idea of federalism is once again being brought up in information spheres, which, according to its few supporters, presents the only way to ensure long-term peace in this diverse country. Discussions about federalism in Afghanistan are not new and are largely connected to events in recent history, primarily the civil war that began in 1978 with the “April Revolution.” That said, there has not been enough technical analysis...

Narcotics Afghanistan Tajikistan Russia

Central Asia Counts the Cost of Drug Trafficking

Speaking at the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March, Zafar Samad - director of the Narcotics Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan - admitted that vast quantities of drugs are being smuggled to Europe and Russia through Tajikistan’s “northern route.” In other Central Asian nations, increased efforts are being made to curtail the problem. Kazakhstan, for example, is strengthening its legal systems and policies to effectively counter the laundering of proceeds from drug trafficking in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Kazakh government also recently approved a Comprehensive Plan to Combat Drug Addiction and Trafficking. Given its long and porous border with Afghanistan, however, the problem in Tajikistan remains acute. “The increase in the volume of drug seizures in Tajikistan indicates that there are large stocks of drugs in the northern provinces of Afghanistan intended for shipment along the northern route,” Samad stated. Smugglers are “assessing the situation and exploring the possibilities of transporting drugs into Tajikistan, taking into account the measures taken by the Tajik Government to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border by creating new border facilities.” This year will see the adoption of a CSTO program aimed at fortifying the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. However, the “northern route” - sometimes called the “Heroin Highway” - has a long and checkered history, which has not always led to interstate cooperation. The village of Karakul, GBAO; photo: TCA The Pamir Highway route was established in the 1990s, opening up new avenues for suppliers following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Beginning in the Kyrgyz second city of Osh, the highway - the second highest international road in the world - traverses the length of Tajikistan and down through the south of Uzbekistan before terminating in Afghanistan. An estimated 15 tons of opium and 80 tons of heroin are trafficked through Tajikistan each year, the majority passing through the poverty-stricken, self-governing Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) along a desolate mountainous route known locally as Bam-i-Dunya - the Roof of the World. Said by locals to be older than Rome, Osh is a dusty spread of Soviet-era buildings adorned with satellite dishes and murals of MIG fighter jets and Misha the Bear. Having long been dubbed one of the drug capitals of Central Asia, Kalashnikov-wielding soldiers guarded cafés after dark. An ancient Silk Road route in use for millennia, the modern Pamirsky Trakt was completed in 1937. From Osh, the red soil highway ascends to the windswept mud-brick hamlet of Sary Tash, a major stopover on the smuggling route where the roads to Kashgar in China and the border with Tajikistan converge. Despite covering 45% of its landmass, the self-governing Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) is home to just 3% of the population of Tajikistan. The only Central Asian country to have descended into civil war following the collapse of the USSR, the Pamiris chose the losing side, with the five-year-long conflict leaving approximately 100,000 dead and 1.2 million displaced. The...

Afghanistan

Turkmenistan to Host Another Exhibition of Afghan Goods

Afghanistan's Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced that it intends to hold an exhibition of its export goods in Turkmenistan, according to a bulletin from Turkmenistan's Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. To increase exports and international trade, the Afghan ministry intends to host over 30 exhibitions both domestically and internationally in the coming months. After the previous exhibition of their products held on March 4-6 of this year, Afghan manufacturers signed a number of contracts with Turkmen companies. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan, ordered 100,000 cubic meters of marble from Afghanistan, to be used in the construction of buildings in the city of Arkadag. Turkmenistan also will buy 50,000 tons of iron and 6,000 tons of steel beams.

Afghanistan

Kazakhstan Sells More Sunflower Oil to Afghanistan; Imports More Matches and Jade

Exports and imports between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan showed significant changes in 2023. Exports of goods from Kazakhstan to Afghanistan fell by 16.4% last year, declining by $615.3 million compared to 2022. According to analysts, the traditional export cargo of flour from Kazakhstan to Afghanistan decreased by 1.2 million tons (6.3%). Wheat exports fell by a measure of 448,000 tons, flax seeds by 42,000 tons, and peas, chickpeas and lentils by 49,100 tons (1.7%). The supply of oil products also decreased by 26.8%, which amounted to 71,700 tons. Exports of flat-rolled steel products declined by 50% to 62,500 tons. But there are also positive indicators. For example, the export of sunflower and safflower oil has grown. Last year it amounted to 20,300 tons, which is 16% higher than in 2022. Additionally, there was an increase in the export supply of cigarettes, up to 269 million pieces, which is 2.2 times higher than in 2022. Fertilizer exports grew 1.5 times to 30,900 tons. Imports of goods from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan also improved. Compared to 2022, Kazakhstan imported three times more Afghan goods in 2023. They totaled 55,000 tons of cargo worth $21.1 million. These goods mainly included sweetened drinks, onions, licorice root, grapes, as well as value-added products such as clothing, washcloths, brooms, brushes and matches. Additionally, Kazakhstan imported much more jade -- 74.3 tons, up 39.1 times year-on-year, and talc -- 261.3 tons, up 1.9 times.

International Cooperation Afghanistan

Central Asia Can Help Bring Afghanistan into the International Fold

Afghanistan's situation remains deeply troubling, reflecting a complex history of conflict and political instability that has severely impacted its social and economic fabric. The Soviet Union's invasion 45 years ago, followed by the Taliban's rise to power in 1996 and the U.S. involvement after the September 2001 terrorist attacks linked to Al-Qaeda, and finally the Taliban’s return to leadership in 2021, have all shaped the current crisis. Today, Afghanistan appears no closer to becoming a functioning state capable of contributing positively to the global community. As recent as 2020, nearly half of the country’s population lived below the poverty line. The plight of women and girls continues to be particularly dire as they have been denied secondary education since the Taliban regained power nearly three years ago. An invigorated engagement with the international community would no doubt provide multiple benefits to not only Afghanistan’s own people but also to the larger region. Whether the troubled country remains a zone of conflict or becomes a contributor to a sustainable future will depend on its ability and willingness to eventually integrate into broader regional and global frameworks. A state’s adherence to modern democratic values is often seen as one of the conditions for recognition as a genuine international partner by the global community. These norms are usually associated with Western-oriented ideologies and are therefore difficult for today’s Taliban-led Afghanistan to embrace and implement. There are possible ways to bridge this apparent divide. At a meeting held in Doha on 18-19 February 2024, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reported that he had begun consultations on the appointment of a UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan to “coordinate engagement between Kabul and the international community.” Pakistan, who shares a 2,640-km border with Afghanistan, proposed that the envoy should be a “Muslim, experienced diplomat and from the region”. Pakistan’s candidacy is tarnished, however, by accusations that it provided military support to the Taliban, which Pakistan’s government denies. Turkey, another possibility, is a NATO member that has sustained political and economic ties with Afghanistan. However, its geographical distance makes it less of a stakeholder in the economic and security environments impacted by Afghanistan and as such, it lacks some of the necessary incentives and leverage points needed to influence Afghanistan’s actions. Central Asia’s unique insights and motivations to help Afghanistan In the same Doha gathering, Guterres also proposed establishing a contact group of states that might include the “P-5 [the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom] with a group of regional countries and relevant donors” for a more coordinated approach to engaging Afghanistan’s “de facto authorities”. The Central Asian republics making up the “C-5” should certainly be considered among the “regional countries” grouping that Guterres mentioned. Firstly, Central Asia has been affected by economic and security developments in Afghanistan, including narcotics trafficking, as well as by the overflow radical extremism and a resurgence of the militant cause. The region plays critical role today in curtailing the spread of illiberal and violent ideologies and...

Energy Central Asia Afghanistan Agriculture Economy Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan to Open Trade Promotion House in Kabul

Kyrgyz representative Daniyar Zholchiev met with Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Trade Noruddin Azizi in Kabul, to discuss collaboration on new economic projects. (http://bakhtarnews.af/) A proposal was welcomed by both parties for the expansion of trade relations and the launch of a Kyrgyz trade house in Afghanistan. Azizi suggested that Bishkek could help Kabul with investments in electricity generation and mining. Construction of high-voltage power lines under the CASA-1000 project is currently underway in Afghanistan to enable the transmission of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan through the territory of Afghanistan. The latter has huge reserves of minerals, including rare-earth elements (REEs) but despite a long-held interest from global manufacturing giants in China and India, an agreement has yet to be settled with the Taliban. Back in January 2024, Kyrgyz businessmen accompanied Daniyar Amangeldiev, Kyrgyz Minister of Economy and Commerce to Afghanistan to discuss new business opportunities. The outcome, described by the Kyrgyz ministry as the beginning of business relations between Bishkek and Kabul, was interest from Afghan authorities in importing electric lamps, medicines, sugar, beans, fabrics and other products from Kyrgyzstan. Allegiance between the two countries was also testified late last year when Kyrgyzstan delivered humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in the form of 111 tons of food, warm clothing and personal hygiene products. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov had earlier called on the international community to continue providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, despite the fact that many countries do not recognize the current Taliban government. Kyrgyz authorities have also frequently reiterated at international forums, including the UN, the need to ease the international isolation suffered by Afghanistan which both worsens the situation faced by a country ravaged by fighting and impacts Central Asia as a whole.