Dynamics of Political Development in Afghanistan: The British, Russian, and American Invasions

309 Pages·2010·1.11 MB·English

by  Hafizullah Emadi (auth.)

Dynamics of Political
Development in Afghanistan
Dynamics of Political
Development in Afghanistan
The British, Russian,
and American Invasions
Hafizullah Emadi
dynamics of political development in afghanistan
Copyright © Hafizullah Emadi, 2010.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-10389-4
All rights reserved.
First published in 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the
United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth
Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe, and the rest of
the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan
Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998,
of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above
companies and has companies and representatives throughout the
world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United
States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-28833-5 ISBN 978-0-230-11200-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230112001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from
the Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Scribe Inc.
First edition: September 2010
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to the memory of my brother Habibullah.
Contents
List of Tables viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chronology xiii
Introduction 1
1 Reform and Rebellion in Postindependence 11
2 Dawn of Political Liberalization 49
3 Military Putsch and Regime Change 87
4 State, Imperialism, and Dissident Movements 127
5 Mujahidin, Civil War, and the Taliban 167
6 Post-Taliban Politics of Reconstruction 205
Glossary 249
Notes 253
Bibliography 267
Index 277
Tables
2.1 U.S. and USSR loan and economic assistance,
1949–1972 (in millions of dollars) 84
3.1 U.S. and USSR economic assistance to
Afghanistan, 1973–1977 (in millions of dollars) 96
4.1 Major Sunni political parties in the 1980s and 1990s 137
4.2 Major Shia Islamic parties in the 1980s and 1990s 145
4.3 Chronology of worker strikes, 1968 149
4.4 Chronology of student strikes, 1968 151
4.5 Major revolutionary organizations active in
Afghanistan’s politics 153
6.1 Results of presidential election, October 9, 2004 217
6.2 Results of parliamentary election, September 18, 2005 219
Preface
Since the formation of Afghanistan as a nation in the early eighteenth
century, the state apparatus was touted as an institution that serves
the interest of all people regardless of their social and class affiliations,
however, it ignored the needs of tribal and ethnic communities in
favor of serving the interests of the ruling class. The class character of
the state and its dependence on alien powers for political, financial,
and military support eroded the legitimacy of the state and its leader-
ship. Since then, conflicts of interest among Pashtun rulers has led
to the formation of political alliances with imperial powers for sup-
port against their rivals; this factor paved the way for British interven-
tion in Afghanistan. The British supported and installed rulers who
defended their interests and deferred to them—a situation that lasted
until Afghanistan gained its independence in 1919. Nonetheless, Brit-
ish influence, both direct and indirect, continued in the country’s
political affairs, manifested in support of authoritarian and despotic
leaders supportive of its policies. In the post–World War II period, the
emerging superpowers—the United States and the Soviet Union—set
out to carve their own spheres of influence in Afghanistan by provid-
ing economic and technical assistance as well as political support to
individuals and groups within and outside the state bureaucracy that
supported their politics and ideologies.
The Soviet Union succeeded in establishing its domination over
Afghanistan after its cliental party, Hizb-e-Demokratik-e-Khalq-e-
Afghanistan (People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan [PDPA]),
seized power in a military coup in April 1978 that facilitated the
Soviet occupation of the country in December 1979 and spawned
the anti-Soviet war of national liberation. The Soviets continued to
support the Kabul client regime after their defeat and withdrawal of
troops in 1989 and until the disintegration of the Soviet empire in
1991. A lack of Russian financial and military support led to the col-
lapse of the PDPA’s rule and establishment of a theocratic state in
x Preface
1992. Islamic fundamentalists fought each other for domination of
the country’s political institutions—a war that claimed the lives of
thousands of innocent men, women, and children, destroyed civil and
political institutions and economic infrastructures, displaced thou-
sands of people inside the country, and forced many others to seek
refuge in the neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan and else-
where. This situation continued until U.S. and NATO forces toppled
the Taliban in late 2001 and backed the establishment of a cliental
political system of governance.
This study is a modest attempt to examine how dependent devel-
opment and struggles for power within the state apparatus led to
the formation of alliances with imperial powers and how the latter
used these alliances to manipulate political development in Afghani-
stan to their own advantage. It also demonstrates how the failure of
imperial powers to build a hegemonic project around a class faction
within the state apparatus paved the way to their direct intervention
in Afghanistan’s internal affairs—British engagement in Afghanistan
prior to the country’s independence in 1919, Russian occupation in
the 1980s, and U.S. and NATO military intervention in late 2001.
Acknowledgments
As an advocate of social justice and a member of the political move-
ment for progressive social transformation in the 1970s and after,
I became interested in the dynamics of political development in
Afghanistan, with a view to affect positive change in the trend of
development and produce relevant literature to serve as a guide to
novice students of political science and the progressive movement
in their struggle for justice. This study is a product of many years
of intensive reading, research, and observation of developments in
Afghanistan in the era of globalization of the capitalist system. With-
out the assistance and support of friends it would not have been
possible to complete this book. I would like to express my deep-
est gratitude to Mohamed Alibhai for his thoughtful comments on
the final version of this book. I would also like to render thanks to
Farooq Babrakzai for his cogent suggestions and comments on vari-
ous aspects of development in his home country. I am equally grate-
ful to Abbas Noyan, representative at the Shura-e-Milli (National
Assembly) for sharing information on political developments during
the legislative process. Most especially I thank my sisters Nigar and
Sanam and my late brother Habibullah, School Superintendent in
the Shibar district, Bamiyan Province, and their families who pro-
vided me with round-the-clock support during my stay in Afghani-
stan, which helped me focus on my research and writing. This study
was also enhanced by the special part played by Khodayar Faiyaz, a
distinguished figure in the liberation movement in Shibar, Bamiyan
Province, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Appreciation is expressed
for the role played by Shah Mohammad Rais and Iraj Mohammad
Rais of Shah Mohammad Book Company for providing me access to
their collections and research materials during my stay in Kabul. It
is impossible to express sufficiently my thanks to Lorilei, who con-
sistently provided moral and material support during my research,
locating and accessing materials in library archives and preparing an