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| India-Pakistan |
| The Afghan cauldron |
| 2008-07-27 |
| By GENERAL RETD MIRZA ASLAM BEG What the Americans and the European Union thought to be an easy task to occupy Afghanistan and control it, in order “to dominate Eurasia, and almost automatically gain Africa’s subordination, rendering the western Hemisphere and Ocean, geo-politically peripheral to the world’s central continent,” as advised by Brezezinsky, but they were proved wrong, because, they failed to pay heed to his warning, that “the scope of such global hegemony is admittedly great, but its depth is shallow, limited both by domestic and external restraints, because, hegemony involves the exercise of decisive influence, but unlike the Empires of the past, not of direct control.” The desire for ‘direct control’ by the occupation forces, was resisted by the people of Afghanistan and now has been joined by the jehadis from Russia, China, Pakistan, Central Asian States and Al-qaeda, turning Afghanistan into a real cauldron. The ‘Joint Resistance’, thus is a fast growing phenomenon, " the real arbiter, presenting an interesting scenario to be dispassionately discerned. Russia supported the American war on Afghanistan in 2001, but was soon dismayed due to pro-American revolutions, occurring one after another in their ‘near abroad’- in Georgia, Ukraine and Kirghyzia. Putin was naturally furious and warned of dire consequences. Ostensibly, the smugglers of arms and ammunition were let loose, who, traded through Turkmenistan territory, to the Northern Alliance warlords, who in turn have been selling their hardware to the Taliban in the south. Repeating the pattern of 1980s, against Soviet occupation, the jehadis from Iraq, Chechnya, Turkey, Xinjiang province of China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirghyzia have found their way into Afghanistan, adding a new dimension to the resistance against the occupation forces. As part of the retributive justice, this is Russian vendetta, for the defeat they suffered in Afghanistan, during the eighties and the geo-political security concerns of the neighbouring countries, together has created a formidable resistance against the occupation forces. The New York Times, terms it as “the Taliban Rising Tide.” The allied forces in Afghanistan therefore are in a nut-cracker situation, now getting a bashing from the ‘joint resistance’, which will act as the real arbiter in this conflict. They were used by the Americans, during the 1980s to force a withdrawal on the Soviet occupation forces. The Russian are now using them, to avenge their defeat. The Chinese are happy, that they would be relieved of the threat to their ‘soft under belly’, posed by the occupation forces. The Pakistanis are seeking status quo ante and a friendly Afghanistan. Iran and the Central Asian states, want to be relieved of the curse of the occupation forces, who continue to keep the entire region de-stabilized and in a state of turbulence. Afghans are tenacious fighters. They love freedom and have never compromised on it. In 2002, I was able to convey the message to Mullah Umar, not to start another war against the occupation forces, but to follow the American agenda of “democracy, reconstruction and free enterprise” as a better option. The reply I got is interesting: “We will fight, till the occupation forces leave and we are free. For the Afghan nation, to follow the American agenda is not in harmony with our national dignity, values and traditions. We will fight and fight till we are again a free nation.” In their fight for their freedom, they are not alone. Across the borders, the Pakhtun tribal belt of Pakistan, which served as the main support base for the resistance against the Soviet occupation forces, now plays a more effective role because, the restraining power, Pakistan, which managed and supported the resistance in the past, is no more in a position to be effective, although more than 100,000 soldiers remain deployed on the borders. It is therefore logical that in order to safeguard Pakistan’s vital national security interests, harmony must be achieved between the ‘militant power base’ astride our borders and the ‘democratic power base’ as ordained by the peoples verdict of 18th February 2008, but, unfortunately, political expediencies have kept the ‘democratic power base’ restricted in playing its full role. The Indian ingress into Afghanistan since 2004, has been a cause of concern for all the neighbours. In 2004 the US state department declared Afghanistan as part of South Asia geo-politically, thus providing easy reach to its strategic partner India. India thus established a vast intelligence network supported by CIA, Raw, Mossad, MI-6 and BND (German), having its nerve center at Jabal-us-Saraj and out posts at Sarboi, Asadabad, Kandhar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Faizabad, thus targeting all the neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and the Central Asian states. The recent attacks on the Indian consulate and their out posts, in Afghanistan appear to be retributive actions by the affected countries. The Indo-US-Israel nexus thus acts as the red-rag to the jehadis and a force multiplier in preserving their struggle for freedom. The military situation in Afghanistan therefore, is indeed ominous for the coalition forces, where as US presidential candidate Mr. Obama thinks: “We must fight the war to the finish in Afghanistan. ….. We must move beyond a purely military alliance built on convenience, with a nuclear armed nation (Pakistan) and the nexus of terror and radical Islam.” Such thinking which is totally divorced from reality has proved costly for the United States and their allies in the past and will be catastrophic in the future. The occupation forces are beating a retreat from Iraq and the time frame of withdrawal has relatively cooled down the situation there. Similarly a time frame of withdrawal from Afghanistan, will prove conducive to lowering the resistance to enter into dialogue and negotiation for peace. But the main hurdle is the European pride and its bruised ego, hurt due to encountering serious frustration in Afghanistan. It is their first engagement outside Europe in the last sixty-five years, which has gone awry. “It is failing and would leave NATO toothless, without a mission.” Yet they have to take the bitter pill, before failure turns into defeat. The NATO forces in Afghanistan recently attacked a post in area Angoor Adda, manned by the Pakistan army, who retaliated strongly. The NATO helicopters lifted their dead and wounded to Kabul and Bagram and the following week assembled fresh troops opposite Miranshah supported by tanks and gunships, threatening to cross the border into Pakistan, but better sense prevailed on them and they beat a retreat. Good for them. The mood of the Pakistan army has changed. They are seething with anger, and cannot tolerate the killing of innocent Pakistanis by NATO predaters and gunships. Such actions must stop, before they become the cause of bigger embarrassment to the occupation forces. The joint resistance will soon lead Afghan nation to freedom. It has acquired a global reach, with its main power base located along the Durand Line in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is dispersed and diluted forming into “shadow armies, led by committed believers.” In a short period of twenty five years it has humbled two super powers and the Europeans and Israel. It rejects domination and hegemony. Its goal is freedom, which can not be denied, by calling their freedom movements as terrorism, than to recognize the reality and negotiate peace with them and help them integrate into the emerging global order, which needs to be governed by the three golden principles of the Chinese people " Peace, Cooperation and Engagement. An American lawyer, Wendell Willkie rightly said: “Freedom is an indivisible word, if we want to enjoy it and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone.” The writer is a former army chief |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #6 This guy is laboring under the misapprehension that we have thrown everything we have at the ME. We have in both wars tried to limit the damage and do the dirty deed with as few troops as possible. If we really got tired of messing around with you we could settle this in a matter of minutes, move in and take what we want. We could go British Empire on their asses and take whatever we want, killing anyone that gave us a funny look. They are fortunate that we have not yet found the strength as a nation to enter our imperial era. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-27 17:53 |
| #5 Yeah, wishful thinking on Beg's part. America beseiged on all sides, our forces forced back, humiliated, captured while attempting to retreat, routing in all directions. The Russians and Chinese sitting back, rubbing their hands together greedily and laughing. The valiant Lions of Islam advancing, driving the American sheep before them, pillaging their villages, raping their women, and listening to the lament of their enemies. Doesn't really seem that way from where I'm sitting (and I've got lots of Army and Marine buddies who've been in Afghanistan and haven't really been telling any horror stories about the situation there). |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2008-07-27 15:07 |
| #4 India has dismembered the Pakistani state once already. Articles like this make me think a second dismemberment is in order. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-07-27 14:53 |
| #3 The first paragraph presents the situation as General Beg, ret'd wishes it were. Based on the little I know, it seems he never does find reality in the rest of the article. But then, he and his comrades never did learn to recognize any reality beyond local politics. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-07-27 14:06 |
| #2 Had they stopped? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-07-27 13:00 |
| #1 It is therefore logical that in order to safeguard Pakistan's vital national security interests, harmony must be achieved between the 'militant power base' astride our borders and the 'democratic power base' as ordained by the peoples verdict of 18th February 2008, With General Kayani refusing to stop backing the jihadis, it looks like Pakistan is back to its old tricks. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-07-27 12:20 |