Over time the amount of different tribes and parties who have controlled and or tried to control Afghanistan have created an environment where control is almost impossible. The lack of a stable central government for so many years has caused a power vacuum where no one central power can effectively control the country due to long-standing rivalries and tribal relationships creating the fractured state that we see today.
Tribal rivalries and feuds are one of the main reasons for the power vacuum and lack of a central government that exists in Afghanistan today. Afghan tribes have been conflicting with each other for a long time now. The Afghan society has experienced numerous cases of conflicts due to the intra- and inter-tribal rivalries, blood feuds, and antagonism emanating from the difference in ethnicity, religious orientation, and language (Barfield, 2010). Leaders who tried to set up central governments fuelled tribal rivalries. These leaders found it difficult surviving as most of the Afghan people were against central governments, as they did not want to pay taxes or follow the law. In a bid to ensure their survival, central rulers would mobilize tribal support through manipulation of tribes against each other. The tribes would then fight amongst themselves. The central government would eventually weaken due to lack of complete support from the Afghan tribes (Ansary, 2012). The feuds between tribes remained, and hatred has always been evident within the society, as tribes do not freely associate with each other. This has made it tough to resolve these rivalries and any diplomatic solutions have failed to end the rivalries. It is hard to set up a central government in Afghanistan as the major tribes will not come together and fully support the government. In most cases, when a central government is set up, one of the major tribes refuses to support the government and starts mobilizing citizens to revolt against the government (Tanner,2002). Usually, this rebellion is caused by the fact that leader of this government comes from a rival tribe. Therefore, these tribal rivalries have significantly contributed to the lack of a stable central government in Afghanistan today.
For the most part of Afghanistan history, it has never constituted of a single state since most of its territories were parts of bigger empires. During these regimes, the ability of a ruler to maintain order and secure the territory is what made them remain in power (Wine and tulips in Kabul, 2010). This pattern of leadership changed in 1747 after the establishment of Pashtun Dynasty by Ahmad Shan Durrani. The Pashtun dynasty would go on to rule Afghanistan for the next 230 years. During this period, the leadership of kingdoms in Afghanistan was restricted to members of the royal family. Therefore, for the 230 years of the Durrani rule, Afghan rulers experienced rivalry from their close relatives only. In the 19th century, influence from western colonial powers led to a change in the political structures of the region. The Afghan fought the British in two wars (1839-42 and 1878-90). The Afghans were able to expel the British from their country, but they employed rural militias in the rebellions (Harlan,1842). Since the dynastic elite had not control in these rebellions, the exclusivity of dynastic privilege was undermined. The people involved in expelling the British felt that power sharing was necessary. Whenever a crisis arose and the rural militias dealt with it successfully, power disputes continued arising, and it became hard for the state authority to be restored. Disputes over the rightful ruler of the state became fierce. These differences led to the end of Durrani rule as the dynasty was toppled in 1929 in a civil war. Since then, no ruler has been able to establish a strong central government as disputes continues over the rightful ruler. These differences have led to the situation witnessed in Afghanistan today where setting up a strong central government had failed to materialize. The Afghan society has failed to agree on the rightful ruler of the country.
On December 25, 1979, the Soviets started invading Afghanistan. Within two days, the Soviets had secured Kabul and deployed special Soviet assault unit at the Kings palace. Some elements of the Afghan army tried to resist, but it was a brief resistance. Amin, the Afghanistan leader at that time was killed at Darulaman Palace. The Soviets installed Babrak Kamal as the new government head. The Soviets controlled Kabul and a larger part of the country. They wanted to subdue the Afghan civil war and develop a socialist and friendly government on their border (CIA et al. 1989). Tribal and urban groups (mujahideen) in Afghanistan started revolting against the brutal Soviets. After some time, the United States, an adversary of the Soviets, started supplying the mujahideen with shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles. With these missiles, the mujahideen were able to mount significant resistance against the Soviets (CIA, 1983). The Soviets realized that creating a stable central government in Afghanistan was too expensive regarding lives and money. In 1989, they signed an agreement between them and the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, upon which the agreed to withdraw their troops in the country. The United States hoped that after the Soviets withdrawal, Afghanistan would be able to choose their leader and have a stable central government. However, the mujahideen who were fragmented into various independent groups continued could not come to an agreement over whom the next ruler would be. They continued resisting against any form of governance that was set up. The battle of the rightful leader continued and Afghanistan turned into a country that could be ruled by no one. This situation has led to the political unrest witnessed in Afghanistan today.
The lack of a stable central government in Afghanistan made the country a safe location for Islamic extremists. Groups such as Taliban have Afghanistan as their central place where they meet and plan all their terrorist activities. These groups can manage their operations successfully, as there is no central government in the country that would control their illegal activities and prevent their operations. In the course of their operations, these Islamist extremist groups have managed to convince a number of Afghan youths to join them in their illegal activities. This situation has significantly increased the number of militants in the country. These militants are used to fight any central government that is established in Afghanistan. Some of these Islamic Extremist groups such as Taliban, wage war claiming that the rulers are corrupt and thereby want to get rid of such leaders (Mogelson, 2013). Such groups will, therefore, fight governments that are set up, as they believe, these governments do not have good intentions for Afghans. Therefore, these Islamist extremist groups are another main reason for the lack of a stable central government in Afghanistan. They have destabilized the country and made it a hub of terrorist activities.
Counter-insurgency operations by the United States over the last 14 years have failed to create a stable central government and instead, led to more war and violence. The United States has been sending its troops to Afghanistan, and it is estimated that around 10, 000 U.S soldiers are on the ground in Afghanistan. There are a significant number of soldiers in the air force as well. These soldiers are sent to Afghanistan as the United States hopes to end the power vacuum witnessed in the country. The soldiers fight against Islamist Extremist groups, which are against a central government. The United States has however failed to put into place a stable central government in Afghanistan as they have been drawn into the conflict that exists in the country. Taliban has been fighting United States and destabilizing them; thereby ensuring that United States spends more money on weapons and other necessities (Khan, 2012). Furthermore, two thousand American soldiers have died in Afghanistan over the period which United States troops have been staying in the country. This is a huge loss considering that over these 14 years, the United States has failed to achieve its main goal of setting up a stable central government in the country. The presence of United States in Afghanistan has contributed to the power vacuum, as Islamic Extremist groups will always rebel against any government that is backed up by United States. They believe that United States does not harbor good intentions for Afghans and therefore, cannot allow the country to be ruled by a government that works together with the United States (Rubin,2013). If the United States withdraws its troops from the country, the citizens and militant groups might just come to an agreement amongst themselves and agree on the rightful central ruler of the country.
References
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CIA. (1983, September). AFGHANISTAN: PROSPECTS FOR THE RESISTANCE (United States, CIA). Retrieved April 2, 2016, from http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/89801/DOC_00055 64710.pdf
Wine and tulips in Kabul. (2010, December 18). The Economist, 397(8713), 81(US). Retrieved from http://library.norwich.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.library.norwich.edu/ps/i. do?id=GALE%7CA244590966&v=2.1&u=vol_n82n&it=r&p=STND&sw=w&asid= 0b05b99c2c0d3967bf0b3a7690d5d624
Harlan, J. (1842). A memoir of India and Afghanistan with observations on the present exciting and critical state and future prospects of those countries: Comprising remarks on the massacre of the British army in Kabul, British policy in India, a detailed descriptive character of Dost Mahomed and his court Philadelphia: J. Dobson.
Khan, A. R. (2012). THE TALIBAN'S REVENGE. Maclean's, 125(18), 30-32.
Mogelson, L. (2013, Jan 20). Which way did the taliban go? New York Times Magazine, , 28-35,54,57,8. Retrieved from http://library.norwich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1281834617 ?accountid=12871
Barfield, T. J. (2010). Afghanistan: A cultural and political history. Princeton: Princeton University Press
Tanner, S. (2002). Afghanistan, a military history: From Alexander the Great to the fall of the Taliban. New York: Da Capo Press.
Ansary, M. T. (2012). Games without rules: The often interrupted history of Afghanistan. New York: PublicAffairs.
Rubin, B. R. (2013). Afghanistan From the Cold War Through the War on Terror. Oxford University Press.
