Change in Afghanistan Must Come from within
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Sacramento, CA

 

Kabul, Afghanistan, and the US withdrawal from there has been making headlines, precipitating reaction, and evoking negative thoughts from many people here in America. It has been reported that we have spent close to two trillion dollars in this quagmire, engaged in almost 20 years of war, without much to show for it. One can argue over the specifics, but yes, America could have benefitted much more from using that money at home on things that we need here.  And maybe we would not have been politically divided as we are today, fighting in Washington about the size of the infrastructure deal and the amount of stimulus to be given to our people, instead of spending the cash in far off lands we have little understanding of? From a non-expert (since the experts appear to have been off the mark) here is a very small window of introduction to Afghanistan.

Readers not familiar with the area can search online for "Pashtunwali" which like the Japanese "Bushido" is the (unwritten) code by which the Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and Pakistan's border tribal areas, live. This code could provide us a view into why Afghans can lose so many battles but still eventually manage to win a war on their own turf. The Pathans as we "flatlanders" from South Asia call the Mountain Pashtun are not a horizontally stratified society like the rest of us. Each member of this ethnicity is fiercely independent and equal to another. They are also some of the toughest fighters in the world, especially in the rough terrain which they live in. And they will only shy away from a battle to fight another day. Being able to fight well is an essential element needed for survival in Afghanistan no matter which ethnic group one belongs to (e.g., the Tajiks, Afghanistan’s second largest ethnic group, are yet to be defeated in their Panjshir Valley stronghold). The plight of the ethnic Hazaras in Afghanistan could be a subject of many articles too. But for now, let us return our focus on the Pashtun, the largest functioning tribal society in the world today, even more numerous than the Kurds.

Pashtuns refuse to live in servitude. BADAL (Revenge) is one of the elements of the Pashtunwali code. NANG (Honor) can only be restored by taking revenge. MELMASTIA (Hospitality) is another. NAMUS (honor of women) and any violation of it is considered a very serious offence. They are also obligated by their code to give refuge to people who ask them for sanctuary even if they are wanted for serious offenses elsewhere. Osama Bin Laden was one. Possibly any other society in the world would have handed him over, but when post-9/11 America asked, they wanted proof that Osama did it and eventually ended up saying no to a superpower. Not many other countries or people would dare to do that.

These are just a couple of observations that may seem like a page out of ancient history to a Westerner, but to many rural Pashtuns this remains a way of life. Theirs is a very black or white world with no room for uncertain gray areas. Another thing that they are very sensitive about is their Islamic faith. There is little room for compromise there as we found out. When our troops were conducting "Midnight Raids" into Afghan homes to look for and eliminate terrorists they were not only violating some of the main tenants of Pashtunwali code but conservative religious beliefs as well. Some Afghans may have later joined the Taliban just because they considered such intrusion personally offensive.

Moving to the situation today, indications are that an agreement was already reached between America and the Taliban. But what caused this rapid Taliban military movement and “victory” in Afghanistan? It will be studied for a long time, but desertions probably had a big hand in it. All Afghans, especially the Pashtun, do not appreciate outsiders coming in and telling them what to do.  They will eventually get together to eject foreigners. This has been their history and anyone venturing over there should pay some close attention to their way of life first. They are the best friends a man can have but one would never want to be their enemy!

The tribes there play by their own rulebook and some of their practices are indeed abhorrent. But if change is to come to Afghanistan, it will have to come from within, when the Afghans are themselves ready and willing. Urban Afghans and the settled Pashtuns in Pakistan have successfully adopted many Western habits, but that change has come voluntarily through education and exposure to other environments. Outside force did not accomplish it. The Soviet Communists tried to bring change to Afghanistan for a decade, while America tried for almost twenty years, and both failed.

Yes, we could have won there if we had used our full military capability but too many people would have died. Presidents Biden and Trump made the right decision to pull out of this mess. It is understood that we still need to get our people and friends out of there and help is needed to carry out Afghan refugee resettlement both here in America and in other places around the world. But in the end Afghanistan is like quicksand for foreign forces. The longer you stay and struggle, the deeper you sink. The recent decision to pull out came many years late. There is no good way to end a bad war, but America needs to move on.

(Relevant quote: “When it comes to the protection of my honor then my rage does not care about benefits and loss of millions.” - Pashtun poet Khushal Khan Khattak))