Introducing a book for better understanding about what happens in Afghanistan
Hi, I am Modjtaba Najafi. My field of study is the media. I analyze the role of social networks in the formation of social and political movements. I focus more on Iran and the Middle East. In the field of journalism, I am also interested in geopolitics and diplomacy. I would like to be with you on YouTube to discuss more theoretical and up-to-date topics on this network. The first thing I want to do directly is to introduce a book that I think is appropriate for the explanation of what is happening in Afghanistan. My goal is not just to introduce this book, but also to mention the benefits of reading it. The original book is in English (Unholy Wars, Afghanistan, America and international terrorism) because my main language is French. I have translated the French version. The author of this book is John Cooly. When the issue of the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq was hotly debated, I saw fit to translate this book. Because I was a student activist and there was an atmosphere at the time as to whether a foreign attack could lead to the export of democracy. This was the question that arose in Iran after the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In my country, there were supporters and opponents among the democrats. Influenced by the circumstances of the time, some believed that a military strike and the establishment of modern institutions in Iraq and Afghanistan could serve as a model for extending this action to other Middle Eastern countries, including Iran. To fit this space, I felt that this book was useful for translation; An intriguing book that explores how terrorism came to be in the Middle East. It deals with the role of Western and regional countries. That is, it addresses the role of all countries in the region in bringing about what we unfortunately see today in Afghanistan as a permanent phenomenon. I translated this book from France to Farsi in 2004 under the supervision of my teacher Mr. Mehregan Nezamizadeh. Published by Samadiyeh Publications under the management of Lotfollah Meysamy. This book is very interesting, not because I translated it myself, but because it can make the events in Afghanistan understandable. The book has 11 chapters. In the first chapter, the book explains that the United States plunged the Soviet Union into a swamp similar to the Vietnam Swamp during Carter’s time. The author of the book, who is an American veteran journalist himself, has accompanied the American authorities on many important trips and explains in great detail that Carter’s plan was to create a new Vietnam for the Soviet Union, which was immersed in a crisis including economic crises and disputes and heavy military spending in the countries under its influence …. The invasion of Afghanistan pushed the Soviet Union to its final stage of collapse. Western countries, in cooperation with Pakistan and regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, equipped jihadist groups. In this sense, this alliance between the jihadists and the Western countries were against communism. This alliance had a common chapter. The jihadist forces had discussions about the entry of infidels into the Islamic land, and some groups entered the confrontation with a national approach and opposition to the occupation of their country. This book shows in fluent and detailed prose how the United States led the Soviets to make an important decision to invade Afghanistan. And how this attack accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union as well as how the United States, Pakistan, and other Western and regional countries invested in equipping these groups. We must be careful that the Western countries did not create these groups but organized and strengthened them. Do not confuse the topic. The claim that these groups were created by Westerners is superficial. These groups were equipped, otherwise they are a reality in the Middle East. It is wrong to want to know the origin of these groups as foreign. In the second chapter, the author examines the period of rule of Anwar al-Sadat, the situation of Islamic groups, the attitude of the government against these groups and the internal situation of these groups. The Author is critical of Western approach to dictatorships. He believes that the suppression of democracy leads to the development of fundamentalism. According to the author, repression in the public sphere leads to the growth of fundamentalist groups. In the third chapter, he deals with the approach of the Zia-ul-Haq government. How Pakistan under his rule became one of the main allies of the United States and Western countries in the fight against Soviet Union. The author mentions how jihadist schools grew in this country. The book details the corruption of Pakistan’s intelligence services. The following chapters discuss sponsorship and funding. In other words, how the financing of international terrorism was provided. For example, Chapter 7 discusses poppy fields and the drug trade. In another chapter, he discusses the impact of the Afghan war on the escalation of internal crises in Russia. In other chapters, he has dealt with the development of jihad in countries such as the Philippines, Morocco, etc. In the final chapter, the author discusses the events of 9/11 and the overthrow of the Twin Towers, explaining how these events became an excuse for religious fundamentalists in the United States to plan an attack on Afghanistan and Iraq. The author is a critic of the neoconservative approach of the Bush era. Because, in the author’s view, what we know today as international terrorism took many lives as a result of an unholy alliance between countries that sought to unite with jihadism and reactionary groups under the pretext of fighting their traditional Soviet rival. The author emphasizes that one must learn from this coalition that a good goal cannot be achieved by a bad tool. This means that we cannot have inappropriate allies or use inappropriate methods to achieve the goal. According to the author, the approach of Western countries in alliance with jihadist groups in Afghanistan was the result of what we know as terrorism in this country. Part of the reason for this phenomenon in Afghanistan is the result of the internal process and the other part is the intervention of Western countries and the regional countries in the internal situation of Afghanistan.
A few pages of the book also deal with the role of Iran. What I see today about the Taliban advancing in Afghanistan several years after the US invasion of this country is very unfortunate. After the establishment of modern institutions and the hope of Afghani people to live in peace and democratically, we still see this country going backwards. This situation carries multidimensional crises. Again, one of Iran’s neighbors will experience a period of black reaction and civil war, and this is a bitter reality.
But why introduce this book? The Persian name of the book “CIA and Jihad , Unholy Wars”, translated by Samadiyeh Editions. The book gives you a lot of information, but my main purpose in introducing this book is to critique an idea that wanted or wants to bring democracy through war. Is it possible to achieve democracy through war? The experience of both Iraq and Afghanistan tells us no. Democracy requires the efforts of the people of that country, the establishment of modern institutions and endogenous social civil movements. It requires creating an atmosphere of conversation, patience, and communication. The end of this patience must be accompanied by the continuation of action in the public sphere to repel tyranny. This book teaches us that the kind of foreign intervention can be detrimental to democratization. This means that these interventions can trigger many crises. On the other hand, when we talk about the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan, we must keep in mind that we are in a high-risk region(Middle East). Therefore, to strengthen democratic approaches, we must be careful not to destroy the country. In this regard, the author emphasizes that changes must be endogenous for a country to achieve democracy. I introduced this book to consider this point based on the experience of Afghanistan. It is equally harmful to deviate from the democratic demands. Looking outside the borders of Iran and calling on other countries to intervene can take democracy miles away from us. Democracy requires the people to fight side by side. I believe people in Iran have the potential to achieve democracy without war.
Thank you for your time and attention, I hope this book introduction can help you and those who are interested in geopolitics and diplomacy. Please join us in the next videos. It would being me joy for you to join me in the future by joining this YouTube channel.
Have a nice day.