Russia-China-Iran alliance is taking Afghanistan’s bull by the horns
By Pepe Escobar with permission and first posted at Asia Times
The Great Game: This lithograph by British Lieutenant James Rattray shows Shah Shuja in 1839 after his enthronement as Emir of Afghanistan in the Bala Hissar (fort) of Kabul. Rattray wrote: ‘A year later the sanctity of the scene was bloodily violated: Shah Shuja was murdered.’ Photo: Wikipedia
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a Central Asian loop all through the week. He’s visiting Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The last two are full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, founded 20 years ago.
The SCO heavyweights are of course China and Russia. They are joined by four Central Asian “stans” (all but Turkmenistan), India and Pakistan. Crucially, Afghanistan and Iran are observers, alongside Belarus and Mongolia.
And that leads us to what’s happening this Wednesday in Dushanbe, the Tajik capital. The SCO will hold a 3 in 1: meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, and a conference titled “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities.”
At the same table, then, we will have Wang Yi, his very close strategic partner Sergey Lavrov and, most importantly, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar. They’ll be debating trials and tribulations after the hegemon’s withdrawal and the miserable collapse of the myth of NATO “stabilizing” Afghanistan.
Let’s game a possible scenario: Wang Yi and Lavrov tell Atmar, in no uncertain terms, that there’s got to be a national reconciliation deal with the Taliban, brokered by Russia-China, with no American interference, including the end of the opium-heroin ratline.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi chats with guests after the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum in Beijing on June 25. Photo: AFP / Jade Gao
Russia-China extract from the Taliban a firm promise that jihadism won’t be allowed to fester. The endgame: loads of productive investment, Afghanistan is incorporated to Belt and Road and – later on – to the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU).
The SCO’s joint statement on Wednesday will be particularly enlightening, perhaps detailing how the organization plans to coordinate a de facto Afghan peace process farther down the road.
In this scenario, the SCO now has the chance to implement what it has been actively discussing for years: that only an Asian solution to the Afghan drama applies.
Sun Zhuangzhi, executive director of the Chinese Research Center of the SCO, sums it all up: the organization is capable of coming up with a plan mixing political stability, economic and security development and a road map for infrastructure development projects.
The Taliban agree. Spokesman Suhail Shaheen has stressed, “China is a friendly country that we welcome for reconstruction and developing Afghanistan.”
On the Silk Road again
After economic connectivity, another SCO motto encouraged by Beijing since the early 2000s is the necessity to fight the “three evils”: terrorism, separatism and extremism. All SCO members are very much aware of jihadi metastases threatening Central Asia – from ISIS-Khorasan to shady Uighur factions currently fighting in Idlib in Syria, as well as the (fading) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
The Taliban is a way more complex case. It’s still branded as a terrorist organization by Moscow. Yet on the new, fast-evolving chessboard, both Moscow and Beijing know the importance of engaging the Taliban in high-stakes diplomacy.
Taliban fighters have taken large swathes of Afghanistan in the past two weeks. Photo: AFP / Aref Karimi
Wang Yi has already impressed upon Islamabad – Pakistan is a SCO member – the need to set up a trilateral mechanism, with Beijing and Kabul, to advance a feasible political solution to Afghanistan while managing the security front.
Here, from China’s point of view, it’s all about the multi-layered China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to which Beijing plans to incorporate Kabul. Here is a detailed CPEC progress update.
Building blocks include the deal struck between China Telecom and Afghan Telecom already in 2017 to build a Kashgar-Faizabad fiber optic cable system and then expand it toward a China-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan Silk Road system.
Directly connected is the deal signed in February among Islamabad, Kabul and Tashkent to build a railway that in fact may establish Afghanistan as a key crossroads between Central and South Asia. Call it the SCO corridor.
All of the above was solidified by a crucial trilateral meeting last month among China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Foreign Ministers. Team Ghani in Kabul renewed its interest in being connected to Belt and Road – which translates in practice into an expanded CPEC. The Taliban said exactly the same thing last week.
Wang Yi knows very well that jihadism is bound to target CPEC. Not Afghanistan’s Taliban, though. And not the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), as quite a few CPEC projects (fiber optics, for instance) will improve infrastructure in Peshawar and environs.
Afghanistan in trade connectivity with CPEC and a key node of the New Silk Roads could not make more sense – even historically, as Afghanistan was always embedded in the ancient Silk Roads. Crossroads Afghanistan is the missing link in the connectivity equation between China and Central Asia. The devil, of course, will be in the details.
The Iranian equation
Then, to the West, there’s the Iranian equation. The recently solidified Iran-China strategic partnership may eventually lead to closer integration, with CPEC expanded to Afghanistan. The Taliban are keenly aware of it. As part of their current diplomatic offensive, they have been to Tehran and made all the right noises towards a political solution.
Their joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif privileges negotiations with Kabul. The Taliban commit to refrain from attacking civilians, schools, mosques, hospitals and NGOs.
Tehran – an observer at the SCO and on the way to becoming a full member – is actively talking to all Afghan actors. No fewer than four delegations were visiting last week. The head of Kabul’s team was former Afghan Vice President Yunus Qanooni (a former warlord, as well), while the Taliban were led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who commands their political office in Doha. This all implies serious business.
There are already 780,000 registered Afghan refugees in Iran, living in refugee villages along the border and not allowed to settle in major cities. But there are also at least 2.5 million illegals. No wonder Tehran needs to pay attention. Zarif once again is in total synch with Lavrov – and with Wang Yi, for that matter: a non-stop war of attrition between the Kabul government and the Taliban could lead only to “unfavorable” consequences.
The question, for Tehran, revolves around the ideal framework for negotiations. That would point to the SCO. After all, Iran has not participated in the snail-paced Doha mechanism for over two years now.
Aerial view of Mashhad. Photo: Wikipedia
A debate is raging in Tehran on how to deal practically with the new Afghan equation. As I saw for myself in Mashhad less than three years ago, migration from Afghanistan – this time from skilled workers fleeing the Taliban advance – may actually help the Iranian economy.
The director general of the West Asia desk at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Rasoul Mousavi, goes straight to the point: “The Taliban yield” to the Afghan people. “They are not separated from Afghanistan’s traditional society, and they have always been part of it. Moreover, they have military power.”
On the ground in western Afghanistan, in Herat – linked by a very busy highway corridor across the border to Mashhad – things are more complicated. The Taliban now control most of Herat province, apart from two districts.
Legendary local warlord Ismail Khan, now in his mid-70s, and carrying an overloaded history of fighting the Taliban, has deployed militias to guard the city, the airport and its outskirts.
Yet the Taliban have already vowed, in diplomatic talks with China, Russia and Iran, that they are not planning to “invade” anyone – be it Iran or the Central Asian “stans.” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has been adamant that cross-border trade in different latitudes, from Islam Quilla (in Iran) to Torghundi (in Turkmenistan) and across northern Tajikistan will “remain open and functional.”
That non-withdrawal withdrawal
In a fast-evolving situation, the Taliban now control at least half of Afghanistan’s 400 districts and are “contesting” dozens of others. They are policing some key highways (you can’t go on the road from Kabul to Kandahar, for instance, and avoid Taliban checkpoints). They do not hold any major city, yet. At least 15 of 34 regional capitals – including strategic Mazar-i-Sharif – are encircled.
Afghan news media, always very lively, have started to ask some tough questions. Such as: ISIS/Daesh did not exist in Iraq before the 2003 US invasion and occupation. So how come ISIS-Khorasan emerged right under NATO’s noses?
Within the SCO, as diplomats told me, there’s ample suspicion that the US deep state agenda is to fuel the flames of imminent civil war in Afghanistan and then extend it to the Central Asian “stans,” complete with shady jihadi commandos mixed with Uighurs also destabilizing Xinjiang.
This being the case, the non-withdrawal withdrawal – what with all those remaining 18,000 Pentagon contractors/mercenaries, plus special forces and CIA black op types – would be a cover, allowing Washington a new narrative spin: the Kabul government has invited us to fight a “terrorist” re-emergence and prevent a spiral towards civil war.
The protracted endgame would read like win-win hybrid war for the deep state and its NATO arm.
Well, not so fast. The Taliban have warned all the “stans” in no uncertain terms about hosting US military bases. And even Hamid Karzai is on the record: enough with American interference.
All these scenarios will be discussed in detail this Wednesday in Dushanbe. As well as the bright part: the – now very feasible – future incorporation of Afghanistan to the New Silk Roads.
Back to the basics: Afghanistan returns, in style, to the heart of the 21st Century New Great Game.
Thanks for your interesting report.
Why is Turkmenistan being left out? Are they already a puppet of the US?
Quite the opposite!
____
Yesterday’s statement from MFA of China following the diplomatic meeting between the countries (source Twitter @MFA_China):
“On July 12, State Councilor and FM Wang Yi held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and FM Rashid Meredov of #Turkmenistan in #Ashgabat.”
“The two sides agreed to negotiate and sign a Belt and Road cooperation agreement as soon as possible, formulate a cooperation plan for the next five years, and an expanded cooperation partnership plan in the economic sector, work for speedy and substantive progress in natural gas cooperation.”
“China will continue to provide Turkmenistan with vaccines and support its fight against COVID-19.”
“China will continue to firmly support Turkmenistan in following a development path consistent with its national conditions, firmly support its commitment to a policy of permanent neutrality, and firmly support the measures taken by Turkmenistan to uphold its sovereignty, security, and development interests.”
I’ll throw this one out. If China is serious about Xinjiang and the people there, I say induct one of their representatives into your core Politburo committee. Till then it’s playing a dichotomous game.
That would be liberla “identity politics” nonsense, antithetical to the democratic and meritocratic principles of the CPC.
Multiple members of the Central Committee are Uyghur, Tibetan, etc. including Arken Imirbaki (a Vice Chairman of the NPC).
Yes, Marfa, do throw that out!
Though I abhor the ideology of the CCP and the Maoist ideological style of President Xi, one thing the CCP does which stands well is merit. Work effort.
Appointing people up the power vector is poison to a government.
The Chinese have done so well with their Central Government because every person in power has earned it.
The best, smartest Uyghurs are busy getting rich as the province grows at 8-9% GDP.
Xinjiang is the 1950s California of China.
What you propose would bring a political functionary whose career was tied to pleasing his supervisors.
That’s not who earns his/her way to the Politburo.
As for China being serious about Xinjiang? You have to be kidding. They are investing enormous sums to develop Xinjiang. As they shift industrialization from the east to the west of China, they have huge plans for Xinjiang. And it will become a generator of Chinese wealth beyond imagination twenty-thirty years from now.
Agriculture exports into South Asia and Central Asia will be more than the EU marketplace for agriculture.
It faces 3+ billion people along the Belts and Roads. That is an enormous market.
All the Chinese corridors tie from Xinjiang. It is the nexus of Chinese wealth and influence.
Yeah, they are very serious about Xinjiang. I’d say, deadly serious if the US thinks they’ll succeed with destabilizing it and separating it from China.
Y’all missing the forest from the trees. The ethnic Chinese will prosper and take all the gains to whereever, leaving the Uighur’s as serfs. A class system. One can point at the roads and high speed rail and all the trillions of export happening out of Xinjiang. But an Uighur cannot go his mosque and listen to his Imam preach.
To them, it’s occupation. Plain and simple. If it’s not so, give them a piece of pie, a big piece of pie and let them be involved in the decision making on their lands for their people.
This is complete nonsense Marfa. The Uighurs are free to practice their religion as 50 countries who visited, Muslim countries, have testified.
here’s a parallel. https://asiatimes.com/2021/07/lhasa-building-boom-heightens-divisions-in-tibet/
creating a class system and producing have not’s in their own homeland, and being dominated by mainland people.
take it fwiw…
Perhaps the Chinese have learned what works. Hawaii and all former indigenous lands in the USA are now firmly in US hands by mass immigration. The Chinese simply learn from the best.
Maybe if the US were to give up all its ill gotten territories, the Chinese would be inspired to grant Tibet and Xinjiang independence?
Heck, why stop there, how about the colonists leave the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and give those lands back to the indigenous populations. That would put a whole lot of moral pressure on the Chinese. I bet they would leave Tibet and Xinjiang then.
To simply put it, the American style of divisionary politics doesn’t work in China. It is and always has been a country that has promoted meritocracy.
Anyone who has proven his ability, given something to his/her country, will rise through the ranks in the system. Not on a racial basis as Westerners and their henchmen would like to see it.
§§§ “…give them a piece of pie ………
Speaking of cake, and “freedumb of religion”.
Bakers and cake makers in the US are unable to “freely practise their religion” when they are forced, legally compelled, fined and jailed for refusing to bake and decorate cakes for LGBTx+?genders.
Dont oversell the product here Larch.
According to this description from wiki (” Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in northwest China, is a vast region of deserts and mountains. It’s home to many ethnic minority groups, including the Turkic Uyghur people. The ancient Silk Road trade route linking China and the Middle East passed through Xinjiang, a legacy that can be seen in the traditional open-air bazaars of its oasis cities, Hotan and Kashgar.”) any growth (and resources) brought to this region will have to come from the west side (Russia), and even then it appears limited to a narrow corridor and those branches which have water.
I dont see people flooding there just as the western U.S. is mostly sparsley populated land. Prime land (and the talent to develop it) is becoming scarce world wide it appears.
There are some very fertile lands to the north and west of the ring of mountain ranges that encircle the central deserts of Xinjiang. The the amount of arable land would rival that of California. And that is before China complete their ambitious water transfer projects from the Tibetan plateau to the deserts of Xinjiang. My hunch is that Xinjiang will be transformed in 30 to 50 years.
But the real importance is the strategic location at the western end of China before the silk road splits in multiple routes through the Stans. Factories and logistics hubs located there will already be halfway the distance between Beijing and eastern Europe. When the Middle East and Africa develop, as is hoped by China, all these regions will be served by the Xinjiang nexus.
If I were a younger man, I would consider moving there.
really? You want China to inject people in Politburo on nepotist or ethnic basis? I hope they never get to do that. Would be like poison for the good and improving governance China enjoys right now.
I think you need to get more informed about Xinjiang. Here is a good report:
https://www.qiaocollective.com/en/education/xinjiang
More serious than it… quite impossible. It is faster economic growing region in the world, due PCC policies. No wonder US/EU want to destroy it…
The Talibs have certainly revved up hope and optimism, but dangerous times lay ahead. The hegemon and its stay behind ops are numerous and hurt.
It’s hard to believe the US would ever withdraw from Afghanistan with all the natural resources and the poppy fields. The US still occupy and control Iraq and 1/3 of Syria with minimal effort. If Russia and China won’t be able to challenge the Hegemon in Syria/Iraq/Ukraine/Georgia then Russia and China won’t succeed in Afghanistan.
More chaos and wars next to Russia and China is a winning strategy for the US.
NATO (+allies) will certainly maintain many military assets in the region. Crucially, however, those assets will be “off the record” in the form of private contractors (mercenaries).
Here is the all-important corollary: this means is that NATO’s leverage is in fact not military but financial in nature. When the money evaporates, the mercs desert. The only way to get guys to fight for free for you is if you can provide an ideological surrogate for economic compensation. The Axis of Resistance, from Beirut to Kandahar, has this in spades. So does the American military, in theory (courtesy of 9/11). But they are in retreat.
So it’s greenbacks versus jihad.
Turkey will be an interesting case study in the short term. The Taliban are denying Erdogan’s mercs entry. The Chechens are deserting in Idlib. So where will they work, how will they get paid, and how will this affect NATO’s moves in the region?
In the long term, the collapse of the global USD will then cascade to NATO’s “military” (financial) advantage in West Asia.
In the medium term, NATO needs another catalyzing event to galvanize ideological support for its agenda, because the USD is losing its lustre. Something that gets young Westernized people to become Washington’s next generation of global jihadis. However, that ideological project will be in direct competition with China’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous Eurasia (and then Earth), already made material through the BRI and other initiatives.
I believe the common languages found in that country is Dari and Pashtun. These so-called black-ops or mercs would stand out like a sore thumb. I doubt very much they could operate in secret on a long term basis. Since the Americans are out there would not be any bases around to provide logistics for them to operate in a land hostile to outsiders. You do not have the same context as in Syria. Talibans have declared any foreign troops to be fair game. All Russia and Chinese can do is to give Talibans enough enticement and incentive to deal with these uninvited vermins.
Is it? Have you seen the chaos in the US recently? The US isn’t playing the long game internally and is quite certainly bound for disintegration by the next election. Once the inevitable breakup begins (after Civil War 2.0), the dollar system is gone, there is no $$ left for empire and game over. All the troublemaking is the last effort of the dying hegemon.
The US is a basket case country and decades of stoking social division plus the parasitic neoliberal economic madness have destroyed the place. The US is a zombie. Everyone knows it, so it’s a simply a matter of resisting the chaos for a few more years and that’s it.
Things in the west are bad and getting worse. I went to the supermarket today and bought three things. At the checkout the cashier was puzzled and looked at the receipt and the cash register several times. I asked if something was wrong, and she said “I can’t believe just three little item cost $20.” Unfortunately, the bill was correct. Inflation and housing costs are destroying our standard of living here at a very fast rate.
We’re going to have so much social chaos at home that starting fires overseas may not be feasible anymore.
Absolutely wrong on all counts; I suspect you are a FOX client and propaganda was invented for the like of you: now for some facts, The US has been neutralised in Afghanistan and has no future in this region, Russia and China are in no mood for aggression against Afghanistan because they know what will happen; Soviet Union was dismantled by Afghanistan and Pakistan, The American idiots only provided funds against Soviets the war was fought by us. I live on ground here so take it from me, I am not writing fantasy
China has earmarked around 500 Billion for the region; already around 60 Billion has been dispensed for Pakistan, Pakistan the linchpin and key state in this whole affair, out of embarrassment and humiliating defeat the US avoids Pakistan because the Taliban victory could not be possible without Pakistans brilliant Military intelligence the ISI, The Americans know it well but cannot do jack; Pakistan is a nuclear armed regional power and a very strong ally of china (iron Brothers) is how china refers its relationship, So pakistan cannot be bullied or coerced anymore, Afghanistan and Pakistan are joined at the hip; one cannot function without the other, from food to fuel and medical services all come from Pakistan, during the war All Taliban leaders families live for decades in Pakistan.
The mood here is even to shut down American embassies or shrink them down to few numbers; The US has lost its global position and is not a factor; The only tool it had was violence and economic strangulation through sanctions, Which have all failed and the shameful defeat in Afghanistan will go down in the annals of history as a pivotal turning point and the end of western dominance.
Quietly and Brilliantly Russia and China have worked out an alternate economic system to confront Dollar trade and I think it will come into full force within three years and then its good buy dollar for trade between al least 20 large economy including the worlds largest economy China. In short America and west are not a factor anymore.
And finally the US will run in humiliation, shame and defeat from Syria and Iraq as well, just like the way they ran from Kabul; slinked away in the middle of night like thieves, leaving the local puppets to face the wrath of Taliban who they themselves coulden’t face for 20 long years. Just yesterday the Taliban had a ferocious clash with the so called elite American trained commandos, who gave up after a short fire fight and came out with their hands up; but the Taliban were in no mood to accept these traitors, in traditional muslims minds treachery is a heinous crime, so all of them were shot. So whatever your delusions are about America should all be off to the dustbin of history
There’s only one thing on my mind Pepe, hyenas do not give up game once they have smelt the blood and flesh. But then again, the Russia China Iran coalition might be the lion in the field. We shall see.
USA navy realises it ain’t quite up ro the great game against Iran and China.
Interesting.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9783807/Navy-disarray-focusing-diversity-training-warfighting-report-says.html
The US military, other than special/covert ops is not a war fighting force and hasn’t been for some time. The function of the military is theatrical on one side, and other side, mainly about making money for contractors. US power relies on bribery, cyber warfare and covert ops. It now uses mercenaries particularly its Arab foreign legion, aka al Qaeda and, in a very different way, ISIS which is more diverse and less amenable to direct US command but effective in its own way.
A very good analysis and account (as often is the case with the author). Mr. Escobar speaks about formal contacts between the parties. What about informal ones? Which obviously took the place(s).
Russia and China have very capable, competent and farsighted leaderships, which work well in advance (not waiting for US troops to withdraw). At the very announcement of the US troops’ withdrawal they undertook measures and steps for the state after.
(It is interesting to note that Mr. Biden simply took over the idea of withdrawal from his opponent Mr. Trump, on the contrary to his presidency style – to deny and cancel all from Mr. Trump’s mandate. It is also a sign of Washington’s disaster in Afghanistan.)
Moreover, they had not to wait for public announcement – there have been many signs evolving on the terrain, in the US itself etc.
Also, China and Russia (with their neighbours) prepared some frames in Central Asia to facilitate and direct such evolution, with offers they couldn’t refuse, not as in the Godfather but much more attractive, as Mr. Escobar clearly states in his text(s).
So, the fishnet was prepared for the big fish, unaware what was going on.
Another sign of such successful game is behaviour of Taliban’s leadership. I presume that they are quite aware of its position and integrative processes around their country, so they need to catch the train (i.e. the high-speed train from China, heading to Russia, with stops between).
There are still a number of ambiguities regarding the Taliban. While on one hand they seem to have morphed into a more realpolitical movement, willing to negotiate with the northern Afghanistan ethnicities and search out a path forward towards a united nation under their leadership, many in Asia will remember with anger and disappointment their destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan 20 years ago, under orders of Mullah Mohammed Omar and wonder how far they are really willing to go towards tolerance of other religions and indeed other Muslims. The Hazaras (Shias) were particularly oppressed and attacked by the Taliban not so long ago. Will they be able to trust the Taliban?
The Taliban did not blow up those statues because of religious intolerance.
There was a food shortage in Afghanistan, and the Taliban asked for international help. They were told there was no money. Then, they were informed that there was some money, a few million dollars iirc, for maintaining the Bamiyan statues.
The Taliban’s response was: “Yu don’t have money for starving Afghans, but you have money for art?”
“This is what I think of your art. — *boom*”
Nonetheless, if the statues were in fact ‘idols’, by law they have no place in an Islamic country.
The idol worshippers can no more expect the Muslims to host idols in their lands, than the Muslims can expect the idol worshippers to not worship idols.
In Afghanistan and Iran, the word for an idol is ‘but’ which is derived from the name of the Buddha, because that is how they were introduced to the concept of worshipping idols: from the Buddhists.
According to Islamic teachings, the mind needs to learn to focus on the formless and abstract, in order to escape the prison of form. Buddha statues were considered at best useless, and at worst a hindrance to spiritual development.
I’m sure the Buddha himself did not own any Buddha statues. So, it is a bit strange to idolize a man, but then not follow his example.
But if you perhaps disagree, I would like to hear what benefit you think those statues were to anyone.
How does one respond to an apologist to the destruction of human culture? How does one respond to one who uses twisted religious teaching of fanatic, intolerant leaders of a false interpretation of Islam to justify the heartless destruction of Afghan and human heritage from a time predating Islam?
Your arguments only highlight my earlier statements. The fool, Mohammed Omar, so far removed from the reality of the world that he was unable to comprehend that those who have paltry budgets for cultural heritage are not able to divert them to hunger relief, even if they in their hearts would prefer to do so:
“I did not want to destroy the Bamiyan Buddha. In fact, some foreigners came to me and said they would like to conduct the repair work of the Bamiyan Buddha that had been slightly damaged due to rains. This shocked me. I thought, these callous people have no regard for thousands of living human beings—the Afghans who are dying of hunger, but they are so concerned about non-living objects like the Buddha. This was extremely deplorable. That is why I ordered its destruction. Had they come for humanitarian work, I would have never ordered the Buddha’s destruction.”
Omar again:
“Muslims should be proud of smashing idols. It has given praise to Allah that we have destroyed them.”
Afghan Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Mutawakel stated that the destruction was anything but a retaliation against the international community for economic sanctions: “We are destroying the statues in accordance with Islamic law and it is purely a religious issue.” A statement issued by the ministry of religious affairs of the Taliban regime justified the destruction as being in accordance with Islamic law.
In closing, I ask again. How much have the Taliban changed? Pepe writes as if they have become a practical political group able to meet and reassure leaders of countries as diverse as China, Russia, Iran. And yet they destroy what they call “idols”, no different than the head choppers of Daesh that destroyed the Temple of Baalshamin and the Temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria. These two sins against human memory, both carried out by groups with a heavy stink of twisted Wahabism, are not unrelated; their targets were both remains of the ancient Silk Road, which we hear Pepe sing the praises of so often. Are these Taliban going to be a part of the BRI, the New Silk Road? I think China is most likely more interested in getting the US out of the region and getting access to rare earth minerals than making these men their allies.
How does one justify the savagery western people have done against others, stolen their lands, murdered millions upon millions of them, stolen their resources and you are worried about some stone idols, all those idols put together have no value of even a toe nail of an innocent human-killed by western savagery.
Your twisted western logic and narrative carries no value or weight for us muslims, we see your extreme hypocrisy and criminal behaviour, you can fool some with your fake civility, but in the annals of human history no one ever has committed savagery the Western twisted people have done against others; so as Karma works; now is going to be payback time; Afghanistan is the turning point, Taliban are dearly loved by millions upon millions of muslims, their defeat of entire western military has totally changed the dynamic of future
What you say regarding the Buddhist teaching is incorrect. Buddha has advised his followers of sacred objects that one could use to worship him; the Bodhi tree and the stupa. Buddha knew that while there would be many who would follow his teaching, there may be some who may show their devotion through offerings. He didn’t reject it. The basis of following the path of Buddha is to be a devout follower first. That’s where Buddha statues come in as an object worthy of worship. Buddhist don’t worship that idol but they remember the great teacher when they do so.
I agree with your other sentiments. Since Afghanistan is a Muslim country, their laws prevail there. But I’d like to know what your response would be if Buddhist countries restrict the muslims’ right to practice religion in Buddhist countries.
First of all, how did the destruction of those statues restrict anyone’s right to worship?
Secondly, are there any Buddhists in Afghanistan?
Do we even know for sure that those statues had anything to do with Buddhism? I have heard multiple different theories about their origin.
And last but not least, some friendly advice: you don’t need Buddha statues to attain enlightenment. Didn’t the Buddha advise his followers to get rid of everything superfluous in their lives?
As I had mentioned earlier, the path to enlightenment is a long one. The basis is that one has to be a devout follower. Within the world Buddhist community ranges from Buddhists who are firmly on the spiritual path and are not concerned about offerings, which Buddha himself termed as ‘pratipatti pooja’ (worship by following the teaching), and there are other people who are behind the type mentioned earlier as they are more inclined towards offerings (Amisa pooja as described by Buddha). Both forms were valid and meritorious according to Buddha himself. The difference is that the latter type of people are behind in the spiritual path but gain merit which helps them attain the final aim of enlightenment
FYI, Bamian Buddhas were associated with the Silk Route. The whole region of Hindukush was part of the Kushan Empire which fostered Buddhist sculptural art from 1-4 centuries AD.
“FYI, Bamian Buddhas were associated with the Silk Route. The whole region of Hindukush was part of the Kushan Empire which fostered Buddhist sculptural art from 1-4 centuries AD.”
You are very vague with your words. If this is your way of saying that the Bamiyan Buddhas are associated with the Kushans, then you are wrong.
The Kushans Empire fell in 375 AD. But Shapur I of Persia had already captured the entire western half of the Kushan Empire (ie. Afghanistan, Western Pakistan) before he died in 270 AD. The Persian Hormizd I Kushanshah (King of Kushan; a Persian vassal title) rebelled against the Sasanian Persian Empire in the 270s and gained some measure of Independence, until Shapur II took the territory back around 350 AD.
The Bamiyan Buddhas are dated to circa 600 AD.
The Hepthalite Turks conquered the region following the demise of their Khanate at the hands of the Sasanian Persians, around 560 AD. They endured in the area, as a small and insignifcant Kushano-Hephthalite polity until the region was conquered by the Saffarid Persians around 860 AD.
Buddhist travelers noted the existence of the statues in the seventh century. They also noted the lack of any advanced culture or civilization in the region.
As far as I know, there is no conclusive evidence about who built the Bamiyan statues, or what they represent.
Unbeknownst to most; this Taliban victory is the single most the achievement of Pakistan brilliant Military Intelligence ISI; Personally I think they are the premier intelligence apparatus on the planet; For 40 years now Pakistan has been pitted via proxies against two of the greatest superpowers in History; they contributed to the dismantling of the Soviet union, and now America, its proxies and NATO have been humiliated and defeated; As an Afghan I can tell you that its is dishonour for us to fight such cowardly military as of the west and particularly America who after 20 years of murdering the civilians women, innocent children in the end had to run like criminal thieves; frightened, slinking away in the middle of night leaving behind hot coffee pots.
That as it may be; the west has an extreme hatred for Pakistan because they know its a nuclear armed state who cannot be bullied so they wilily through Fox, CNN etc. However; as things have turned out Pakistan has become a pivotal state, it is the conduits from where China will function for its OBOR and CPEC doctrine. Afghanistan will benefit immensely by CPEC where trillions of dollars of business is aligned for mineral extractions, specially rare earth. most unfortunately for the western murder incorporated wall street; it will not see one red cent and furthermore there is a very active and almost imminent alliance of the above countries who will stop trading in Dollars, and will come up with a seperate financial mechanism that is already functioning between a few countries.
Two things can happen form the western camp, one they accept defeat and learn to live with the rest of the world as equals and in peace or in their desperation they may resort to a nuclear war which they have already done against civilians in Japan. As to what choice they choose is anybody guess, as for myself I suspect they might choose the latter
More like end times end game where they the empire is losing a war which they have already lost.
Amusing how USA/UK always back the most backward, corrupt, religious, repressive, violent and ugly factions. Guess is because they like folks who resemble themselves.