The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 05-2021
112
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
May 31, 2021 |
Pages:
112-116
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue05-17
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‘
ABSTRACT
This article is devoted to the study of some scientific debates on Afghan dualism. Despite the different
approaches, the aim of the article is to determine the establishment of new Afghan statehood and
Afghanistan’s role as a bridge that connects Central and South Asian regions.
KEYWORDS
Afghan dualism, Talibanism, AfSouthAsia, Af-Pak, Durand Line, SAARC, AfCentAsia, Heart of Asia,
Mazar-e-Sharif-Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar, TAPI, CASA-1000, Surkhan-Pul-e-Khumri.
INTRODUCTION
The unstable and turbulent situation in
Afghanistan is one of the global problems
affecting world politics. There are ongoing
armed conflicts on Afghan land, the
involvement of new forces in the conflict, and
new geopolitical trends in the policy of
interested foreign forces. As a result, the
conflict remains tense and serious. Therefore,
the multifaceted and complex issues of
achieving peace in Afghanistan are of great
importance at the regional and international
levels.
Afghanistan National-Regional Dualism: New Scientific
Approaches
Suhrob Buranov
Ph.D. In Political Sciences, Chairman Of Council Of Young Scientists At Tashkent State University
Of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 05-2021
113
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
May 31, 2021 |
Pages:
112-116
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue05-17
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2021:
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METHODS
In this article systematic, logical-comparative
analysis and historical methods have been
adequately used.
RESULTS
Various forms of negotiations are taking place
on the ground of Afghanistan to ensure peace
and settle the long-lasting war. The withdrawal
of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the
simultaneous
start
of
inter-Afghan
negotiations, as well as internal conflicts and
sustainable economic development in this
country, are in particular scientific interest.
Therefore, the research is focused on the
geopolitical aspects of the inter-Afghan peace
talks and the impact of external forces on
Afghanistan’s internal affairs. At the same
time,
the
approach
for
recognizing
Afghanistan not as a threat to global peace and
security, but as a factor of strategic
opportunities for the development of Central
and South Asia has become a key objective of
research and made the implementation of
effective mechanisms a priority. In this regard,
the issues of the future of Afghan-led and
Afghan-owned and restoring the historical
position of modern Afghanistan in connecting
Central and South Asia.
From our point of view, the theoretical
approach to “Afghan dualism” (Buranov, 2020,
p.31-32) should be added to the list of new
scientific views on Afghanistan. It is observed
that the essence of the theory of “Afghan
dualism” can be reflected in two ways:
Afghan national dualism
Controversial views on the establishment of
Afghan statehood on the basis of state or tribal
governance, unitary or federal, Islamic or
democratic, Eastern or Western models reflect
the Afghan national dualism. Valuable
information about the dualistic aspects of the
national statehood of Afghanistan can be
found in the researches of well-known experts
such as Barnett Rubin, Thomas Barfield,
Benjamin Hopkins, Liz Wily, and Afghan scholar
Nabi Misdaq (Rubin, 2013, Barfield, 2010,
Hopkins, 2008, Wily, 2012, Misdaq, 2006). At
the same time, approaches to the Taliban’s rule
in Afghanistan’s future administration in the
context of intra-Afghan negotiations is
becoming more relevant. For example, in
Afghanistan the term “Talibanism” is used to
describe the “Taliban” way of governing the
country. The essence and ideological views of
“Talibanism” have been studied in detail by
Nazif Shahrani Professor of Indiana University.
According to the scholar, the Taliban’s religious
teachings, “pure” Islamic Sharia law, and
military-tribal
claims
can
be
broadly
interpreted as “Talibanism”. In his article, he
writes: “The rise of the Taliban and Talibanism
may be best understood within the context of
the troubled history of the “modern” Afghan
buffer state, perpetually indebted to foreign
patrons and consistently hostile toward its
subjects in general, and to the Turkic- and Tajik
(Persian)-speaking
peoples
of
western,
northern,
and
central
Afghanistan
in
particular” (Shahrani, 2008, p.156.).
Afghan regional dualism
It can be seen that Afghan regional dualism is
reflected in two different approaches to the
geographical affiliation of this country:
AfSouthAsia. According to the first approach,
Afghanistan is part of the South Asian region,
which is assessed by the theoretical views of
The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 05-2021
114
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
May 31, 2021 |
Pages:
112-116
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue05-17
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Af-Pak. It is known that the term “Af-Pak” is
used to refer to the fact that American scholars
consider Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single
military-political arena. The term began to be
widely used in scholarly circles in the early
years of the 21st century to theoretically
describe U.S. policy in Afghanistan. According
to reports, the author of the concept of “Af-
Pak” is an American diplomat Richard
Holbrooke. In March 2008, Holbrooke stated
that Afghanistan and Pakistan should be
recognized as a single military-political arena
for the following reasons:
1.
The existence of a common theater of
military operations on the Afghanistan-
Pakistan border;
2.
The unresolved border issues between
Afghanistan and Pakistan under the
“Durand Line” in 1893;
3.
The use of an open border regime between
Afghanistan and Pakistan (primarily a
“tribal zone”) by Taliban forces and other
terrorist networks (Fenenko, 2013, p.24-
25).
Furthermore, it is noteworthy that Afghanistan
is a full member of SAARC, the main
organization for the integration of the South
Asian region.
AfCentAsia. According to the second approach,
Afghanistan is geographically an integral part
of Central Asia. In our perspective, it is
scientifically logical to call it an alternative to
the term AfSouthAsia with the term
AfCentAsia. This concept is a term that defines
Afghanistan and Central Asia as a single region.
In assessing Afghanistan as an integral part of
the Central Asian region, it is necessary to pay
attention to the following issues:
Geographical aspect
. According to its
location, Afghanistan is called the “Heart
of Asia” as it is a central part of Asia, and
theoretically
embodies
Mackinder’s
“Heartland” theory. Alexandr Humboldt, a
German scientist who introduced the term
Central Asia to science, described in detail
the mountain ranges, climate, and
structure
of
the
region,
including
Afghanistan on his map (Humboldt, 1843,
p.581-582). In his doctoral dissertation,
Capt. Joseph McCarthy, an American
military expert, argues that Afghanistan
should be viewed not only as a specific part
of Central Asia but as the enduring heart of
the region (McCarthy, 2018).
Historical aspect
. The territories of
present-day Central Asia and Afghanistan
were an interconnected region during the
statehood of the Greco-Bactrian, Kushan
Kingdoms, Ghaznavid, Timurid, and Baburi
dynasties. Uzbek professor Ravshan
Alimov in his work cites as an example that
a large part of modern Afghanistan was
part of the Bukhara Khanate for a number
of centuries and the city of Balkh, where it
became the residence of the heirs of the
Bukhara Khan (khantora) (Alimov, 2005,
p.22). In addition, the graves of great
thinkers such as Alisher Navoi, Mavlono
Lutfi,
Kamoliddin
Behzod,
Hussein
Boykaro, Abdurahman Jami, Zakhiriddin
Muhammad Babur, Abu Rayhan Beruni,
Boborakhim Mashrab are located on the
territory of modern Afghanistan. They have
made an invaluable contribution to
civilization, as well as cultural and
enlightened ties of the people of the whole
region. The Dutch historian Martin
McCauley compares Afghanistan and
Central Asia to the “Siamese twins” and
The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 05-2021
115
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
May 31, 2021 |
Pages:
112-116
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue05-17
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concludes that they are inseparable
(McCauley, 2002, p.19).
Trade and economic aspect
. Afghanistan is
both a road and an unopened market
leading the region of Central Asia, which is
closed in all respects, to the nearest
seaports. In all respects, this will ensure the
full integration of Central Asian states,
including Uzbekistan, into world trade
relations, eliminating some economic
dependence on external spheres.
Ethical aspect
. Afghanistan is home to all
Central Asian nations. An important fact
that needs special attention is that the
Uzbeks in Afghanistan are the largest
ethnic group in the world outside of
Uzbekistan. Another significant aspect is
that the more Tajiks live in Afghanistan as
the more Tajiks live in Tajikistan. This is
extremely important and vital for
Tajikistan. Afghan Turkmen are also one of
the largest ethnic groups listed in the
Afghan Constitution. In addition, more
than a thousand Kazakhs and Kyrgyz from
Central Asia currently live in the country.
Linguistical aspect
. The majority of the
Afghan population communicates in the
Turkic and Persian languages are spoken
by the peoples of Central Asia. According
to the Constitution of Afghanistan (The
Constitution of IRA, 2004), the Uzbek
language has the status of an official
language only in Afghanistan, except
Uzbekistan.
Cultural traditions and religious aspect
.
The customs and traditions of the people
of Central Asia and Afghanistan are similar
and very close to each other. For example,
Navruz, Ramadan and Eid al-Adha are
celebrated equally among all people of the
region. Islam also binds our peoples
together. One of the main reasons for this
is that about 90% of the population of the
region confesses to Islam.
For this reason, as the current efforts to involve
Afghanistan in the regional processes in
Central Asia intensify, it is expedient to take
into account the relevance of this term and its
popularization in scientific circles.
DISCUSSION
In general, the theory of “Afghan dualism”
requires the replacement of dualistic ideas and
views that cause conflict in Afghanistan with
universally recognized principles of equality
and unification. Although different views and
approaches to the geographical location of
Afghanistan have some scientific basis, today
the factor of assessing this country not as a
specific part of Central or South Asia, but as a
bridge connecting these two regions, is a
priority. Without restoring Afghanistan’s
historic role as a bridge connecting Central and
South Asia, it is impossible to develop inter-
regional interdependence, ancient and friendly
cooperation on new fronts. Today, such an
approach is becoming a prerequisite for
security and sustainable development in
Eurasia. After all, the peace in Afghanistan is
the real basis for peace and development in
both Central and South Asia. In this context,
there is a growing need to coordinate the
efforts of Central and South Asian countries in
addressing the complicated and complex
issues facing Afghanistan.
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Buranov, S. (2020) Geopolitical aspects
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The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 05-2021
116
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
May 31, 2021 |
Pages:
112-116
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue05-17
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2021:
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