Valdai Discussion Club
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🇺🇸🇦🇫 The war in Afghanistan is an extraordinary textbook on the American strategy that can be summed up as a growing up novel.

Inflated expectations, a sense of omnipotence, which, through a series of crises, gives way to deep disappointment and the overestimation of goals.

This painful experience for the United States was too expensive, but perhaps it will push it to become more sober in the future, writes Andrey Sushentsov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-war-in-afghanistan-as-a-textbook-on-us/

#Conflict_and_Leadership #Afghanistan #USA @valdai_club
🇦🇫🌏 NATO’s defeat in Afghanistan represents a wider defeat of the unipolar moment.

The US invaded Afghanistan as a response to terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, although Washington was somewhat open about the geopolitical objectives.

Since the beginning of the war, there was no shortage of analyses about how Afghanistan could be a bridgehead to assert US influence in the energy-rich Central Asian region and oust Russian and Chinese influence.

The offshore security strategy of both the UK and the US as de-facto island-states has throughout history been to prevent the emergence of a hegemon or collective hegemon in either Europe or Eurasia. In Europe, this entailed preventing a Russian-German alignment, and in the wider Eurasia it entailed obstructing a Russian-Chinese alignment. 

The fall of Kabul will have profound implications for Central Asia and wider Eurasia — presenting both risks and opportunities. The risks associated with the Taliban in control of Afghanistan can be construed as an opportunity to test and advance the Greater Eurasian Partnership, writes Valdai Club expert Glenn Diesen.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/central-asia-and-eurasia-after-the-fall-of-kabul/

#Global_Governance #Afghanistan #TalibanTakeover #USwithdrawal

@valdai_club
🇮🇷🇦🇫 Tehran has not yet worked out a solution and cannot answer the main question for itself: is it worth recognising the Taliban at all?

The capture of Kabul and the establishment of Taliban power over virtually the entire territory of Afghanistan have added another batch of headaches to Iran’s problems.

While Iran has officially welcomed the withdrawal of the Americans from its neighbour to the east, in reality, not everyone in Iran is delighted with the current situation, since they do not fully understand how to interact with the Taliban in Kabul and what, in principle, Iranian-Afghan relations will be like in the medium term, writes Valdai Club expert Farhad Ibrahimov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/iran-s-policy-toward-the-taliban/

#Morality_and_Law #Taliban #Iran #Afghanistan

@valdai_club
⛔️🇦🇫 Restrictive measures applied to the Taliban by the United States, the European Union now affect the country as a whole.

Any economic transactions with the country ruled by the Taliban are subject to a variety of restrictive measures. Such a situation could criminalise and simply paralyse official economic ties with Afghanistan.

The humanitarian damage to the population of the country, coupled with the hardships of the war, could be colossal, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Ivan Timofeev.

#Afghanistan #sanctions

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/afghanistan-in-the-grip-of-sanctions/
🇦🇫 What are the consequences of the emergence of the Taliban regime in the international arena?

At the first stage, the Taliban* will strengthen their power within the country. Any attempt to expand outside could cost them dearly, since it will cause a negative reaction from all neighbouring states. It will also deprive the Taliban of any chance at international recognition or foreign aid. Therefore, they can do this only in two cases: if the regime is on the verge of collapse and it needs an external enemy to rally the population around itself, or vice versa - the regime feels so sure that it embarks on a path of external expansion. Neither of these options is likely in the foreseeable future, writes Konstantin Khudoley, professor at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University.

The Taliban's success will provide an important boost to other radical and extremist movements in the Muslim world.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/is-the-afghanistan-problem-really-global/

#Global_Governance #Taliban #Afghanistan

*banned in Russia

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🌏 The events in Afghanistan challenged the countries of Asia.

First of all, because they were largely on their own. Their responsibility, including globally, has grown dramatically. Now a very difficult and responsible period, the independent construction of a new Asian order, lies ahead.

The aforementioned rapid development of the region is an indisputable fact. Any development contains many risks and requires skilful manoeuvring in economic, political, social and other waters.

In recent years, Asian countries have advanced in this regard. The largest Asian countries are trying to create a kind of control grid for themselves and for other countries in the region. In general, there is a striving for coordinated development. Nevertheless, the path to a harmonious future Asia is definitely longer and more difficult, writes Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/chairman-speech/contemporary-history/

📆 This and other issues we will discuss on September 20, 2021, in Tashkent, within the framework of the conference, titled “Russia and Uzbekistan in the Face of Development and Security Challenges at a New Historical Stage of Interaction”.

#Afghanistan #Uzbekistan #CentralAsia

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🌎 What the West does not understand is that NATO is facing a historic end after the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Even if the West does not want to admit it, the terrorists responsible for the attacks of 9/11 exactly twenty years ago inflicted a historic defeat on the West and drove NATO out of the Middle East.

The aim of Bin Laden's diabolical plan was to lure the US into the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan in order to defeat it there in the gruelling petty war. The West is footing the bill for its mindless policies.

Instead of promoting democracy in the region, NATO has left behind a field of devastation. Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan have become failed states. Worse still, instead of Arab nationalism, the "Islamic State" will be resurrected on the territories of these countries – ideologically and militarily directed against the West. And much stronger than in Iraq at the time.

Who needs a highly armed military alliance that has been defeated by local Islamists?

The real lessons of 9/11 have yet to be learned, writes Alexander Rahr, Research Director of the German-Russian Forum.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/9-11-and-the-defeat-of-the-west/

#Conflict_and_Leadership #NATO #Afghanistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇦🇫🌏 The defeat and abrupt withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, coupled with the instant collapse of the regime it had built in that country, has raised the issue of ensuring security, both for Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours and for countries with serious interests in the region.

The alarming uncertainty surrounding Afghanistan is likely to last years or decades. During this time, the Afghan factor will have a decisive influence on regional security, pushing the states of the region to cooperate not only in the military sphere, but also in the economy and politics.

The main threat is the use of Afghanistan as a base to destabilise adjacent territories.

Given the evidently low level of centralisation of the new Afghan state, this could happen in spite of Kabul’s intentions, writes Valdai Club expert Vasily Kashin. He is a speaker of the second session of the Russian-Uzbek conference in Tashkent.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/afghanistan-and-regional-security-problems/

#Valdai_ThinkTank #Afghanistan #CentralAsia #security

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
⚠️🌏 Main treats to the security of the Central Asia are:

▪️ International terrorism
▪️ Activisation of radical Islamists
▪️ Migration and refugees
▪️ Interethnic contradictions and ethnic separatism
▪️ Weapon smuggling
▪️ Drug trafficking
▪️ Territorial disputes and border conflicts
▪️ Economic lag of the countries of the region

👉 Special for the conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan we created an infographic on security challenges for the Central Asian countries.

The full high-res infographic is available at valdaiclub.com.

#Valdai_ThinkTank #Afghanistan #CentralAsia #security

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇺🇸🇦🇫 Apres nous le deluge?

The withdrawal of American troops not only turned into a worldwide crisis of confidence in the United States, but also became the biggest challenge for the presidential administration on the domestic political front.

It is becoming obvious that after the “Afghan exodus” a real war of compromising materials began in Washington. The State Department blamed the Pentagon, the Pentagon — intelligence, and intelligence agencies blamed the White House. Together they blame former President Donald Trump: he was wrong to make an agreement with the Taliban, organised the negotiation process poorly, etc. However, it was Joe Biden who turned Afghanistan into one of the most critical problems literally from scratch. It was supposed to coincide with the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The metaphorical connection between the 20th anniversary of the terrible terrorist attacks and the inglorious end of the retaliatory operation deeply hurts the American public and the elite alike, Valdai Club Programme Director Andrey Sushentsov writes.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/apres-nous-le-deluge-afghanistan/

#Conflict_and_Leadership #UnitedStates #Biden #Afghanistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇺🇸🇦🇫 Since the mid-2000s, the Americans themselves have begun to admit that the strategy of democratisation both in Iraq and in Afghanistan had turned out to be wrong and did not bring results.

Systematically, the Americans failed, because they were not able to build trusting relationships with a society that they did not respect, considering it underdeveloped, archaic, chaotic, and completely undemocratic, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Andrey Sushentsov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/why-was-the-soviet-experience-not-useful-to-the-un/

#Conflict_and_Leadership #Afghanistan #UnitedStates

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇦🇫🇷🇺 Is a large-scale influx of refugees from Afghanistan to Russia possible?

Russia has the image of a country that does not consider refugees to be a promising category for increasing the country’s population, and the very procedure to first obtain official refugee status, and on the basis of this status gain citizenship in the Russian Federation, is quite difficult for Afghans, writes Valdai Club expert Dmitry Poletaev.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/large-scale-influx-of-refugees-from-afghanistan/

#Afghanistan #refugees #migration

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇪🇺🌏 Can we expect the European Union to contribute to safeguarding regional security in Central Asia now that Afghanistan is back in the hands of the Taliban?

One thing is for sure, it is in the interest of the EU to have a stable, secure and prosperous Central Asia. As security concerns eminating from the crisis in Afghanistan have multiplied over night following the Taliban’s return to power, the region has made a dramatic resurfacing on the EU’s radar. In particular, the situation has set off alarm bells across European capitals about the possibility of a new refugee crisis emerging, as many Afghans are desperate to leave the country and go to Europe, writes Fabienne Bossuyt, Assistant Professor at Ghent University (Belgium) and professorial fellow at UNU-CRIS.

🔗 European Strategic Autonomy in Action? The EU’s Role as a Security Actor in Central Asia in the Wake of the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan

#Global_Governance #EU #Europe #CentralAsia #Afghanistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
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🇦🇫 How can we help Afghanistan overcome its current humanitarian crisis, and who bears most of the responsibility for its emergence?

🎥 Zhou Bo, Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and China Forum expert, answered these and other questions in an interview with Valdaiclub.com

#AsianValdai #Afghanistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇦🇫 One of the lethal aspects of the Afghan crisis that would endanger international security dynamics concerns the inconsistent Afghanistan policy of the US and NATO member states.

Instead of complimenting the Afghan Taliban to stabilise and engage all stakeholders, the ideological battles are being waged on sectarian grounds. A new product of transnational terrorism is in the making.

How this will impact the countries of the region, including Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and China, must be a matter of serious concern. This makes it more likely that ISIS, after destroying Afghan peace, might be deployed beyond the region because ISIS and other militant outfits have been used as a “peace disrupting” tool in different conflict zones.

The current and future conflicts may well be supplied with more recruits from Afghanistan, Europe and the Middle East.

Russia and the US must not demote Afghanistan over the Ukraine conflict. To avert the renewal of ISIS and other militant outfits in Afghanistan, Russia, the US, China, and Pakistan should continue to cooperate over Afghan peace, writes Muhammad Athar Javed,  Director General of Pakistan House.

🔗 Afghanistan and the Crisis in Europe: Kabul’s Prospects for Peace

#CentralAsianValdai2022 #Afghanistan

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇦🇫🌏 Afghanistan continues to be an exceptionally important vector of foreign policy interests, especially for the states of Central Asia as well as China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Russia, due to its special role in the world.

The countries of the region, as traditional and natural parties to the negotiation process, maintain balanced and constructive relations with representatives of the Afghan government, which sees it as the main force in the Eurasian security system, where Central Asia has occupied and will continue to occupy an important determining position.

In particular, this is clearly seen in the example of several international platforms:

The International Contact Group on Afghanistan
The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group
The Moscow Format
The 6+2 and 6+3 Contact Groups initiated by Uzbekistan

On July 25-26, Tashkent will host an international conference “Afghanistan: Security and International Development.”

👉 Valdai Club expert Ulugbek Khasanov writes why it is crucial to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a source of permanent threats for the neighbouring countries, to ensure the participation of all ethnic and religious groups in the country’s social, political, and economic life as a key pre-requisite for the completion of the process of national reconciliation.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/afghanistan-a-test-for-peace/

#Asia_and_Eurasia #Afghanistan

@valdai_club
🇦🇫 In practice, over the past two years, the Taliban has not fully satisfied either positive or negative expectations.

The Taliban did not abandon its principles. The movement considers itself a liberator of the country from foreign occupation. They are confident that they deserve victory and have the right to be in power. No constitution, no elections, no inclusivity (no coalition government with anyone who isn’t “our own”). The Taliban’s right to power stems from its ability to take and hold this power.

The Taliban has held out and has generally managed to control power. It cannot be said that the Taliban order in Afghanistan is something completely unusual in comparison with other countries. Afghanistan under the Taliban fits into the spectrum of global diversity. However, long-term problems still remain. 

The Americans left, but faith in their myths about the prospects for economic development and expectations of corresponding projects from foreigners have remained. In terms of belief in these American myths, the Taliban is no different from the leaders of the previous pro-American government. Moreover, the Taliban tends to ask their regional neighbours for the implementation of American myths, Ivan Safranchuk writes.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/two-years-after-the-return-of-the-taliban/

#Asia_and_Eurasia #Afghanistan #Taliban

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🇦🇫 The rise to power of the Taliban* in Afghanistan marked the end of many years of war.

Today, peace has virtually returned to Afghanistan. The Taliban are consolidating their power and preparing for long-term rule there.

Afghanistan in the future, while strengthening peace, ensuring stability and developing the national economy, will completely change the geopolitical and geo-economic alignment in the region.

Central Asia is in search of an acceptable model of interaction with the new government of Afghanistan. The path of a new confrontation with the Taliban is an extremely ineffective exercise for any foreign policy forces.

Based on the above, today the main global and regional players in the geopolitical space of our region have opted for a bad peace with the Taliban rather than a good war with them, Rustam Khaydarov writes.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-afghan-challenge-is-the-problem-decreasing/

*banned in Russia by court order

#Asia_and_Eurasia #Taliban #Afghanistan

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🇦🇫 February 15, 2024 marked the 35th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

This conflict had a serious impact on international relations, both in the surrounding region and throughout the world. It became a significant element in the escalation of the Cold War in the first half of the 1980s.

The diplomatic alignment of forces during the Afghan conflict of the 1980s is very indicative. Not all countries friendly to the Soviet Union (Romania, India, Nicaragua, etc.) agreed with its position. The opponents of the USSR were able to create a fairly strong coalition in the UN.

Incidentally, a somewhat similar situation has developed now, during the voting on Russia in the General Assembly in recent years, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-withdrawal-of-soviet-troops-from-afghanistan/

#GlobalAlternatives #Afghanistan #diplomacy

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