Political Analyst says that the Taliban hasn’t shown any stable indication of a change in their behavior. “Their current flexibility and attitude is a temporary tactic which was first seen during the mid-90s.”
Joining our political show “Rooydad” expert of Afghan Politics Dr. Mojtaba Norouzi referred to the American presence in Afghanistan saying: “From the early years of the Western occupation of this country led by the US, it seemed clear that democracy and rest of the ambitions are limited to empty slogans. They constantly changed their tactics and strategies which indicates their confusion in finding the target.”
He added that the legitimization of the Taliban was because of the changes they made to their strategy in the region saying: “When Trump came to power, he implemented his vision towards the international issues; A vast and a drastic change took place and they discarded the administration which was created by them. They chose the current and the power which would’ve destroyed the balance. They moved towards the Taliban and bilateral accords were signed off. They laid the stone for the current crisis during their negotiations with Taliban in Doha with the mediator role played by Mr. Khalilzad. They ruined the legitimacy of the central government of Afghanistan and provided Taliban with a legal foothold which resulted in the current crisis.”
He added that the Kabul government was extremely under pressure by the US and as a result, Ashraf Ghani betrayed the nation and the military was inactivated; thus, Taliban swept the power easily.
Norouzi also said that Doha’s untold story is showing its true face in Afghanistan. “The Americans have concluded that they’re not able to achieve their goals so they resorted to their Plan-B. According to this plan, controlled chaos and a proxy war will be kicked off so the final target of engaging the neighboring countries of Afghanistan in a conflict is achieved. They want China, Russia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran to pay the security price of Afghanistan’s current dilemma.”
Dr. Mojtaba Norouzi further said that Taliban has not shown any stable sign of a change in their attitude. Their current behavior and tactical flexibility were seen before in 1995 and 1996 which indicates that they’ve not changed at all. We can’t see any flexibility in the statements made by their officials and spokespersons too. They’ve displayed the same attitude towards the fields of Human Rights, political structure, the role of the people in the establishment, and many other basic needs of the nation. “They are stuck to their hardline stances.” He added.
“The change in their behavior is just a tactical move towards solidifying their hold on power. It can be seen in their previous records in the fields of social structure and ideology.”
He also pointed out the efforts made by Ahmad Masoud and recalled the incidences of the 1990s when the Taliban speedily conquered the country. “The only areas under the control of Ahmad Shah Masoud were Panjshir and some of the adjacent counties. Many believed that he must give up and leave the scene.
Norouzi insisted that the current crisis of Afghanistan has different causes and must be addressed layer by layer. He said that one of the analytical layers which clarifies the root cause of the conflict is the civilizational differences. “The disagreement between Taliban and Masouds is due to the different civilizational points of view. A conflict between Pushtu and Persian-speaking communities. It has become a matter of identity. None of them considers it as an issue which can be bypassed because of it being a matter of identity and civilization; thus, any sharp comment and stance against Ahmad Masoud’s success must be avoided.”
Talking to Radio Goftogoo, Political expert Mojtaba Norouzi also mentioned Amrollah Saleh’s presence in Afghanistan saying that he was never a close ally to Ashraf Ghani. “If there had been a rational similarity then he would’ve left the country by now. Ashraf Ghani used Saleh to gain the confidence of the Tajik community; It can be considered a tactical alliance between the two. Otherwise, a rational closeness is out of the question.”
He also called the Panjshir an area which is geographically resistant to any occupation saying: “The Russians were unable to occupy these highlands and during the 1990s Taliban also tried to invade it, but failed miserably. It seems that Taliban has to try hard to get this area under its control. Otherwise, they must give up the idea and try to show serious flexibility in their governance style which can’t be seen at the moment.”
