Afghanistan Nation-Building and Missed Critical Element of Unifying Ideology

Abstract

Afghanistan Nation-Building and Missed Critical Element of Unifying Ideology Sayed Hassan Akhlaq (bio) Introduction This study introduces a crucial ingredient missing from the processes of nation-building in Afghanistan. It consists of six sections. The first discusses the concept of "nation" in the context of Afghanistan. The next section, "Nation-building from the 'Iron Amir' to the strange irony of new Taliban" surveys the dynamic effects of Islamization, centralization of government, reformation, leftism, Islamists, and the Taliban, on nation-building in Afghanistan. Discussion in the following section 'Afghanistan from 2001-2021' pays a close attention to the recent process of nation-building in Afghanistan by international aid and relief agencies. The two following sections discuss the nature of significance of an integrative ideology to build a nation and its intrinsic nature in Afghanistan. The section titled "The key missing ingredient," arguing for the necessity of an integrative ideology examines competing meanings of ideology. The "The Integrative [End Page 51] Ideology" develops an evaluation of the character of theology, politics, social mores, and culture in Afghanistan. This review of Afghan culture, values, and traditions shows the important role of curious pragmatism, moderation, and morality as the foundation for a unique Afghan ideology, to unify and persuade Afghans to build their nation. This leads to rejecting the popular portrayals of Afghanistan as the land of radicalism, tribalism, and xenophobia. This inter-disciplinary study relies on published literature in English and Persian on Afghanistan, nation-building, and personal experiences of the author. The Background During the late eighteenth century, the term "nation" developed as a political concept, and some individuals and groups were classified as "nationalists." In 1789, the anti-Jacobin French priest Augustin Barruel used the term "nationalism" for the first time in print. Classical political nationalism claimed the right of a people—a nation—to their own state, creating the overlap of nationality and citizenship. In the same period, Ahmad Shah Durrani (1722-1773), the "baba," or father brought political life to a new realm, the Kingdom of Afghanistan. Over the next century Afghans developed their understanding of the modern concepts of state and nation. The military confrontation with the European imperialism of the Russian Tsar and the British resulted in deformed concepts of a nation-state. Asta Olesen, a specialist in social development in Afghanistan wrote, this encounter with the Christian imperialist powers dramatically changed the Afghans' attitude toward the west and its fundamental concepts: They learned to mistrust all Europeans; to see the English and Russians not just as infidels but enemies; to reread Islam as a unifying force and means of mobilization, thereby creating Afghan xenophobia and cultural isolationism.1 Subsequently, Afghans pursued two developments through their following history: welcoming the Western concept of nation-state while staying alert to prevent the loss of cultural identity; and struggling to reconcile Islamism with local and ethnic traditions. Although Afghan Islamism developed as a defensive reaction to European imperialism, it also has its own roots and intellectual history. Afghans remember their historical contributions to global civilization: great scholars, artists, poets, Sufis, scholars, and scientists like al-Biruni (973-1048), Avicenna (980-1037), Ali Hujwiri or Data Ganj Bakhsh (1009-1077), Nasir Khusraw (1004-1088), Hakim Sanai (1080-1131), Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), [End Page 52] and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (1838-1897) to mention a few. Afghans contributed greatly to Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, philosophy, Islamic theology (Kalaam), Persian literature, Sufism, art, medicine, astronomy, geography, and geodesy. However, Islamic intellectual contributions declined in the second half of its long history. Afghanistan particularly suffered from two events: First, the conflict between the Shi'a Safavids versus the Sunni Mughal Empire and against the Uzbeks in the north isolated Afghanistan. Second, the discovery of the sea route to India caused the decline of profitable and culturally enriching trade through Afghanistan. The Shi'ism of the Safavids moved Afghan literature, and in some extent religious scholarship, from its Persian roots toward Indian connections. The loss of long-distance trade weakened the flourishing urban culture of Afghanistan. In result, the economic and political center of gravity moved toward the countryside and the large landowners – an essential factor in the formation of the...