25 - 31 October 2001
Issue No.557
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 25 - 31 October 2001 Issue No.557 |
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Manufacturing governments
Since 11 September, Washington's efforts have been directed towards gathering past enemies and turning them on command into present-day allies. In Afghanistan, the Americans are seeking to build a coalition government, a sort of federation made up of King Zaher Shah's supporters, the leaders of the northern forces, headed by Burhanuddin Rabbani and General Abdel-Rashid Dustum, along with the supporters of Assad Banshir, who was assassinated two months ago, and of Ahmed Shah Massoud. Out of all this, America hopes to create a ruling order to replace Taliban.
This type of thinking dates back to the Cold War. As Miles Copeland's The Game of Nations amply demonstrates, it is specific to a particular strategic framework that is no longer relevant, particularly now. American policy ignores many complex aspects of geographic, historical and ethnic composition of Afghanistan.
The Taliban's power emanates from its control of the ethnic and religious majority: Pushtun, Sunni Afghans. The Northern Alliance and the king's supporters, in contrast, are composed of a much wider variety of elements. Thus, the American-manufactured coalition will lack the firm basis on which a successful order can be built. And if it seems to work today, it will not last for very long.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is a columnist for Al-Ahram.
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