The Graveyard of Empires

The Graveyard of Empires

It’s a sobriquet associated with one landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, where foreign powers often fail in their invasions. Numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the Great, Mauryas, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, British, Soviets until very recently the United States with NATO-allied countries suffered, thereby called it unconquerable and nicknamed it the Graveyard of Empires. It’s Afghanistan that has repelled all invaders time after time.

Going back in history, human habitation in the land of the Afghans dates back to Stone Age era. Afghanistan used to be known as Gandhara during the time of Mahabharata how Gandhara finally became Qandhar (currently Kandahar). The historic Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and Asia. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. It turned out to be a political and diplomatic confrontation during 19th century between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. Following the third Anglo-Afghan war in 1919, it became free of foreign dominance under the Kingdom of Afghanistan.

After an April coup, Afghanistan became a socialist state in 1978. The insurgents groups of Taliban captured the most of the country in 1996, while conflicting over Soviet Afghan War. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan had ruled as a totalitarian regime until US invasion in 2001 in the aftermath of September 11. The capital of Qatar ‘Doha’ was engaged as the Headquarters of the Taliban then, while Russia had actively engaged in the peace process.

The US led NATO forces has finally realized the long drawn war that resulted $ 900 billion in the past 21 years and also felt the safe return of the American soldiers. The withdrawal of most US and allied troops from Afghanistan resulted the fall of Kabul on 15 August while President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

What went wrong in Afghanistan after America’s longest war draws to an end that remains an unanswered question over its aims, direction and success? America might have won the war in World War II that varnished with the patina of history but war with Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan were bad choices and indeed not necessary. Tens of thousands of Afghans have died in fighting over supporting democracy and stability in Afghanistan. Incidentally, US global share of arms exports has increased by 37 percent during the last five years.

India had so far strictly refused to put boots on the ground of Afghanistan but invested heavily in training security forces and supplying with necessary equipment. India’s strategy in Afghanistan is for building peace and stability by pledging $2 billion aid, while engaging active works in the construction, infrastructure, human capital building and mining sectors however Pakistan played destabilizing role helping safe haven for terror groups with strategic depth against India.

Years of violence, instability and widespread corruption have crippled Afghanistan’s economy in terms of worse per-capita GDP. Its rugs are one of main exports and pomegranates are famous for in Asia. Afghan saffron (medicinal herbs) has been recognized as the world’s best, yet the country of dried fruits and nuts has been the least developed in the modern era. The global opium and heroin business provided the sole income for poor farmers but also a boon for the Taliban while engaging cultivation and production of illegal drug trade.

After Taliban takeover, they are likely to face the challenge of the dethroned government without the international aid the former enjoyed and the country won’t be able to access IMF resources due to uncertainty over the recognition of a government and will face further currency depreciation leading to hyperinflation that could not be ruled out. The entire world is keenly watching the development. With Taliban in power, China is eyeing to clinch lucrative projects to exploit mineral-rich Afghanistan.

Ghazni province of Afghanistan has a rare earth metal essential for electric vehicle battery production that may hold the world’s largest lithium reserves. As Saudi Arabia is the oil capital of the world, Afghanistan will be the lithium capital of the world in the future whereas Australia is leading in production of lithium at this time.

With the Taliban managed to seize billions in US weaponry, it’s unconvinced for those untrained Taliban to deliver a decisive role for peace and stability in the war-torn country however the world should stand by the Afghan people and step up support for refugees and humanitarian aid. But there are fears of a resurgent Al-Qaida.

Afghanistan needs skilled Afghans to rebuild their own nation but engineers, doctors are fleeing the country as US military is evacuating them. Thousands of crowds continue to throng around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul seeking a flight out of the country as people are targeted by Taliban for reprisals. Afghans are now desperate to flee their country while UNHCR warns of imminent humanitarian crisis soon in Afghanistan.

The British, Soviets and Americans have invaded Afghanistan, ruled over the rugged mountains but they had to retreat for oversimplifying its history and the external political considerations. The colonial forces had limping home in the foreign soil. On the other hand, Taliban carried out barbaric acts on the name of jihad for freedom against the arrogant power of the world.

Nevertheless, Taliban diktat will fall soon in their second coming. A dashing hope of a moderate region for Afghan people is a far cry from the reality they wished after Sharia Law returned recently. Finally invaders’ optimism has invariably evaporated in the face of mounting violence as a new war of a thousand cuts that brought them to their knees.

Kamal Baruah
A former air warrior