Some strategic analysts described Afghanistan as the graveyard of empires. In history there are only a few generals who led a successful invasion to Afghanistan. In the modern times; even the all powerful British Raj too faced the great Afghan mountains, later it become the indirect battlefield of two cold war empires. The socialist expansion of Soviet Union to further south faced the stiff resistance of US Capitalism and their newly found friends.
As the history recorded the invasion of Afghanistan was disastrous for USSR. The Mujahedeens fought well against the Red Army in the jungles and desert of Afghanistan. Of course US helped them in all the way they can; and finally USSR pulled out from Afghanistan. But USSR was not the only super power who paid the price for Afghan operations. US too paid their price and even now continually paying it in the form of a never ending war in Afghanistan.
After 9/11 US started an all out war in Afghanistan and as expected Taliban was defeated soon and US created new regime in Kabul. But this was only a part of the story. Controlling nation is zillion times difficult than defeating it. First of all US is a foreign power and it is a well known fact that no nationalities will allow a foreign power to rule them. The presence of an invasion army is considered as a national humiliation for them. Along with this religional sentiments are running to a time high.
It’s a simple rule. For example consider the case of Iran. There are various protests went on in the streets of Tehran after the second term election of Ahmadi Nejad. And the friction between US and Iran was creating a lot of heat. But the US will have to face both the protesters and government if they launched a military operation against Iran at that time (infact at any time). That is the e ffect of nationalism; no country is above this rule.
In the case of Afghanistan before consolidating their new position in Kabul and building a powerful Afghan army US opened a new theater of war in Iraq. This gave more than enough time for the scattered Taliban to reassemble and fight back. Some way US installed a democratic government in Afghanistan, the new government even got a second them to run the country. But it didn’t help to reduce the criticism of corruption in the system, many accused that even Taliban gets a cut in most of the development projects in the country. It is easier to blow up a bridge then to construct it, and who want to see their recently constructed bridge to be blowed up before their eyes. Any one remembers how many railway stations are blowed up by the naxals in central India? or we lost the count?
After all the years of US military operations, Afghanistan still remains as one of the most vulnerable place on earth. Its not mean that nothing is improved. After all new technologies, more and more schools, music and a lot other things are coming in to Afghanistan. Evan if the prospectus of returning Taliban to power in the next day of US pulls out is still in the horizon. The so called process of nation building and raising the Afghan army is still to be completed, infact it still not sure how much progress US can make in these fronts.
Even after losing so much money and personals in Afghanistan, still NATO forces was unable to find the key heads of former Taliban regime and Al-Qaida organization. Still the FATA of Pakistan, many parts of wasiristan, Af-Pak border areas, parts of Baluchistan are beyond the reach of Pakistan and NATO forces. Thanks to the penetration of agencies in terrorist networks, Drones are now more successfully hitting the targets after the tragedies in the earlier stages. In fact US cant afford further miss hits in civilian areas- it will create a Himalayan gap between the common people and NATO forces.
Afganistan The grave yard of empires - II
Sajeev.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting often.
ReplyDeleteMayank
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