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The foreign relations of Afghanistan, like those of any country, have changed along with the political, sociological, and economic state of the various parts of Afghanistan.
Contents |
Overview
Before the Soviet invasion, Afghanistan pursued a policy of neutrality and nonalignment in its foreign relations, being one of a few independent nations to stay neutral in both World War I and World War II. In international forums, Afghanistan generally followed the voting patterns of Asian and African non-aligned countries. During the 1950s and 60s, Afghanistan was able to use the Russian and American need for allies during the Cold War as a way to receive economic assistance from both countries. However, given that unlike Russia, America refused to give extensive military aid to the country, the government of Mohammed Daoud Khan developed warmer ties with the USSR while officially remaining non-aligned. Following the Marxist coup of April 1978, the government under Nur Muhammad Taraki developed significantly closer ties with the Soviet Union and its communist satellites.
After the December 1979 invasion, Afghanistan's foreign policy mirrored that of the Soviet Union. Afghan foreign policymakers attempted, with little success, to increase their regime's low standing in the noncommunist world. With the signing of the Geneva Accords, President Mohammad Najibullah unsuccessfully sought to end the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan's isolation within the Islamic world and in the Non-Aligned Movement.
Most Western countries, including the United States, maintained small diplomatic missions in the capital city of Kabul during the Soviet occupation. Many countries subsequently closed their missions due to instability and heavy fighting in Kabul after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.
Many countries initially welcomed the introduction of the Taliban, who they saw as a stabilizing, law-enforcing alternative to the warlords who had ruled the country since the fall of Najibullah's government in 1992. The Taliban soon became alienated of those countries' positive feelings with knowledge of the harsh Sharia law being enforced in Taliban-controlled territories spreading around the world. The brutality towards women who attempted to work, learn, or leave the house without a male escort caused outside aid to the war-torn country to be limited.
Repeated Taliban efforts to occupy Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations and OIC were unsuccessful. By 2000, only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. However, all three countries withdrew their recognition in the months following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States.
Following the American Invasion and the Bonn Agreement the new government under the leadership of Hamid Karzai started to re-establish diplomatic relationships with many countries who had held close diplomatic relations before the communist coup d'état and the subsequent civil war.
The government of President Hamid Karzai is currently focused on securing continued assistance for rebuilding the economy, infrastructure, and military of the country. It has continued to maintain close ties with the United States, Pakistan, India, Iran, the European Union, and the Islamic world.
Bilateral relations
Canada
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks prompted Canada to re-evaluate it's polices toward Afghanistan. The Minister of National Defence Art Eggleton advised Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to authorize more than 100 Canadian Forces members serving on military exchange programs in the United States and other countries to participate in U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Although not participating at all in the opening days of the invasion, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced on October 7 that Canada would contribute forces to the international force being formed to conduct a campaign against terrorism. General Ray Henault, the Chief of the Defence Staff, issued preliminary orders to several CF units, as Operation Apollo was established. The Canadian commitment was originally planned to last to October 2003.
Germany
The German-Afghan relationship is long and has been mostly cordial. Many Afghan academics studied in Germany, many more sought refuge in Germany during the years of civil war. There has been significant cultural exchange over the years. Several of the best secondary schools in Kabul are founded and supported by the German government.
Germany remains one of the most significant donors of foreign aid and partners in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
The Bonn agreement for the post Taliban governance of Afghanistan was debated and signed in the former seat of government of Western Germany.
India
India has traditionally enjoyed good relations with the Afghan government. For much of its history, south-eastern Afghanistan was tied to the civilizations of South Asia, and the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara may have covered what is now Kabul province. President Hamid Karzai graduated from a university in India. Despite that, India supported the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. It also supported the Afghan Northern Alliance "unofficially" against the Taliban. Relations deteriorated after the Taliban took power. During the course of the hijack of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the Taliban requested recognition by India in exchange for help in negotiations. The request was not acted upon by the Indian Government. After the fall of the Taliban, India resumed previous ties. India has donated buses, aircraft and has imparted training to its fledgling police force.
During President Hamid Karzai's visit to New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged an additional $50 million in assistance to Afghanistan, bringing the total Indian pledge to $650 million—of which $200 million has already been spent. India is also reconstructing a road in the remote southwestern Afghan province of Nimroz.[1] The project is being carried out by state-owned Border Roads Organization (BRO), the mission statement of which states that the BRO is India's "most reputed, multifaceted, transnational, modern construction organization committed to meeting the strategic needs of the armed forces." The killing of a BRO employee by the neo-Taliban in November 2005 prompted the Indian authorities to dispatch approximately 200 Indo-Tibetan Border Police commandos to Afghanistan in March 2006 to provide security for Indians working in various construction projects in Afghanistan.
Iran
Both nations being Islamic Republics, Afghanistan and Iran share some history prior to 1709. They also have ties in language and culture, as an eastern dialect of Persian, Dari is one of the official and widely used language in Afghanistan, especially in terms of education. The other major language is Pashto, which is also the official language of the nation and shares many similar words. Despite such close ties, Afghanistan's relations with Iran have fluctuated over the years, with periodic disputes over the water rights of the Helmand River as the main issue of contention.
Southern Afghanistan and Iran were both collectively part of the Persian Empire until 1709 when Afghanistan fought for independence from Esfahan, under the leadership of Mir Wais Hotak. The two are considered by some to be part of "Greater Persia", which refers to an area with some Persian influence.
Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, relations deteriorated. The Iranian consulate in Herat closed, as did the Afghan consulate in Mashad. The Iranians complained of periodic border violations following the Soviet invasion. In 1985, they urged feuding Afghan Shi'a resistance groups to unite to oppose the Soviets. Iran supported the cause of the Afghan resistance and provided limited financial and military assistance to rebel leaders who pledged loyalty to the Iranian vision of Islamic revolution. Although Iran has hosted large number of Afghan refugees since the early 1980s, it is seeking to send the remaining ones back to Afghanistan.[2][3]
Following the emergence of the Taliban and their harsh treatment of Afghanistan's Shi'a minority, Iran stepped up assistance to the Northern Alliance. Relations with the Taliban deteriorated further in 1998 after Taliban forces seized the Iranian consulate in Mazari Sharif and executed Iranian diplomats, who were charged for espionage. Following this incident, Iran almost went to war with the Taliban by massing up troops and tanks on the border with Afghanistan. As a response, the Taliban immediately began gathering and recruiting large number of men along the border with Iran. Many foreign fighters from Pakistan and Arab nations were also arriving.
Since 2001, the new government has engaged in cordial relations with both Iran and the United States, even as relations between Iran and the United States have grown strained due to American objections to Iran's nuclear program. Relations in recent years grew further since Iran began providing aid for Afghanistan's infrastructure, and President Hamid Karzai vowed to stand by his ally, Ahmadinejad. On the other hand, Iran is accused by the United States of helping the Taliban insurgency. This means that Iran may be playing a double role with Afghanistan, as a helper in the open and a destroyer secretly.[4]
Pakistan
Three areas (NWFP, FATA and Balochistan) have long complicated Afghanistan's relations with Pakistan. Controversies involving these areas date back to the establishment of the Durand Line in 1893 dividing Pashtun and Baluch tribes living both Afghanistan and north-western British India at the time. From those living in what later became Pakistan in 1947. Afghanistan vigorously protested the inclusion of Pashtun and Baluch areas within Pakistan without providing the inhabitants with an opportunity for self-determination. Since 1947, this so-called problem of theirs has led to incidents along the International border, with extensive disruption of normal trade patterns. The most serious crisis lasted from September 1961 to June 1963, when diplomatic, trade, transit, and consular relations between the countries were suspended by the Pakistanis.
The 1978 Marxist coup further strained relations between the two countries. Pakistan took the lead diplomatically in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in opposing the Soviet occupation. During the war against the Soviet occupation, Pakistan served as the primary logistical conduit for the Afghan resistance. Pakistan, aided by UN agencies, private groups, and many friendly countries, still continues to provide refuge to several million Afghans by nationality.
Pakistan developed close ties to the Taliban regime since 1996, which it believed would offer strategic depth in any future conflict with India, and extended recognition in 1997. Following the 2001 invasion and overthrow of the Taliban, Pakistan recognized the transitional administration led by Hamid Karzai and offered significant amounts of aid for reconstruction. It also continued to host approximately 1.5 million Afghan refugees and facilitate them living in Pakistan. As of 2006, Afghan-Pakistani relations continue to fluctuate due to continued controversy over the Durand Line and Afghanistan's close relationship with India.
Much of Afghanistan has long relied on Pakistani links for trade and travel to the outside world, and Pakistan views Afghanistan as eventually becoming its primary route for trade with Central Asia, though these plans will of necessity await establishment of secure conditions. There have been frequent incursions into disputed Afghan territory on the part of the Pakistani Army as well as Afghan border crossings in targeting Taliban elements on the frontier. The United States has also launched air strikes from Afghanistan, further complicating relations between the two and is becoming more pro-Indian according to the Pakistanis.
Russia
Afghanistan–Russia relations is the relationships between the two countries, Afghanistan and Russia. Relations were contentious when the latter invaded the former in 1979, causing many of Afghanistan's Muslim allies to act fast and the two nations fought a bitter ten-year war, eventually ending in the withdrawal of the Communist forces. Russo-Afghan relations improved in the years following the end of conflict.
Russian President Medvedev announced in 2009 that he wishes to be more involved in Afghanistan and aiding the army and infrastructure. This came at a time when relations between Afghan President Karzai and American President Obama were at a low.
Turkey
Afghanistan was the second country to recognize the Republic of Turkey, after the Soviet Union, establishing diplomatic contacts whilst the Turkish War of Independence was still being waged. Talks held in Moscow on March 1, 1921 resulted in the Turkey-Afghanistan Alliance Agreement and a period of intense cooperation. In 1937, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Turkey signed the Treaty of Saadabad.
United States
Relations with the United States can be traced back to over 150 years, to the early 1800s, when the first recorded person from America was visiting Afghanistan.[5]
In the 1940s, the United States established its first official embassy in Kabul. The first U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan was Cornelius Van Engert. The first official Afghanistan Ambassador to the United States was Habibullah Khan Tarzi who served from 1948 to 1953.
Since the 1950s the U.S. extended an economic assistance program focused on the development of Afghanistan's physical infrastructure which included roads, dams, and power plants. Later, U.S. aid shifted from infrastructure projects to technical assistance programs to help develop the skills needed to build a modern economy. Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Kabul in December 1959, becoming the first U.S. President to travel to Afghanistan. The Peace Corps was active in Afghanistan between 1962 and 1979. During the early 1960s former King of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, visited the United States and met with John F. Kennedy.
After the April 1978 coup, relations deteriorated. In February 1979, U.S. Ambassador Adolph "Spike" Dubs was murdered in Kabul after security forces burst in on his kidnappers. The U.S. then reduced bilateral assistance and terminated a small military training program. All remaining assistance agreements were ended after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Following the Soviet invasion, the United States supported diplomatic efforts to achieve a Soviet withdrawal. In addition, generous U.S. contributions to the refugee program in Pakistan played a major part in efforts to assist Afghans in need. U.S. efforts also included helping Afghans living inside Afghanistan. This cross-border humanitarian assistance program aimed at increasing Afghan self-sufficiency and helping Afghans resist Soviet attempts to drive civilians out of the rebel-dominated countryside. During the period of Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the U.S. provided about 3 billion US dollars in military and economic assistance to the Afghan Mujahideens.
Following the September 11 attacks, the United States launched an attack on the Taliban government as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following the overthrow of the Taliban, the U.S. supported the new government of Afghanistan and continues to station thousands of U.S. troops in the country. Their aim is to help the new government of President Hamid Karzai establish authority all across Afghanistan and hunt down insurgents that are launching attacks.
The United States is also the leading nation in the rebuilding or reconstruction of Afghanistan. It has been providing multi-billion US dollars in weapons and aid, as well as infrastructure development.[6] In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship.[7] U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on March 1, 2006. Hamid Karzai is hailed as an example of a great leader by most U.S. politicians, universities and media outlets every time he visits the United States.
United Nations
During the Soviet occupation, the United Nations was highly critical of the U.S.S.R.'s interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and was instrumental in obtaining a negotiated Soviet withdrawal under the terms of the Geneva Accords.
In the aftermath of the Accords and subsequent Soviet withdrawal, the United Nations has assisted in the repatriation of refugees and has provided humanitarian aid such as health care, educational programs, and food and has supported mine-clearing operations. The UNDP and associated agencies have undertaken a limited number of development projects. However, the UN reduced its role in Afghanistan in 1992 in the wake of fierce factional strife in and around Kabul. The UN Secretary General has designated a personal representative to head the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA) and the Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA), both based in Islamabad, Pakistan. Throughout the late 1990s, 2000, and 2001, the UN unsuccessfully strived to promote a peaceful settlement between the Afghan factions as well as provide humanitarian aid, this despite increasing Taliban restrictions upon UN personnel and agencies.
See also
- List of diplomatic missions in Afghanistan
- List of diplomatic missions of Afghanistan
- Allegations of state terrorism committed by Pakistan
References
- ^ Pajhwok Afghan News
- ^ Voice of America, Iran Warns Unregistered Afghan Refugees of Detention Camps
- ^ BBC News, Iran urged to halt refugee return
- ^ Los Angeles Times, U.S. says Pakistan, Iran helping Taliban
- ^ Biography of Josia Harlan
- ^ Bloomberg, Bush to Seek as Much as $8 Billion for Afghanistan, Snow Says By Judy Mathewson
- ^ U.S. Department of State - Background Note: Afghanistan
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).
External links
- Embassy of Afghanistan to Australia and New Zealand
- Canada in Afghanistan
- Embassy of Canada in Kabul, Afghanistan
- Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada
- Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington,DC
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan
- United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
- United States Embassy in Kabul
- Embassies and consulates in Afghanistan and Afghani missions abroad
- Afghanistan and Its Neighbors: An Ever Dangerous Neighborhood U.S. Institute of Peace, June 2006
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