Stereotyping the Afghan ‘crisis’ will not be a wise thing to do 

With the Afghan capital falling to the Taliban and President Ghani fleeing, what we are now witnessing is the de-facto rule of Taliban's restarting after their forceful expulsion in 2001. Most of our social media analysts are describing the situation for the past few days as if a Nouveau Mongol Horde has descended upon Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul. 

We're being told about the columns of cars trying to flee Kabul or how desperately some people are trying to flee. What most analysis doesn't cater for, is the immensity of what we know to be timeless Afghanistan and its people. Between its 30 plus million people, Afghans are divided among 50 or more ethnic or sub-tribal groups. While Pashto and Dari remain the two dominant languages, Afghans speak a myriad of languages, including Persian, that can total up to 30 or more languages. Bilingualism remains high in Afghanistan as a signifier that Afghans do communicate across tribes and ethnicity.

Afghanistan boasts an old civilisation with history dating back to thousands of years. Squeezed between the snowclad Hindukush and the arid plains of Central Asia, Afghanistan has historically been at the centre of turbulent crossroads of history. Like Alexander and his Greek forces under him, who founded the city of Kandahar, it is no wonder then that the Taliban emerged from this city to take over the reins of Afghanistan. Typical Afghans are strong, both physically and in their determination.

To reinforce my point about the traditional macho image of Afghanistan let me talk about the national sport: Buzkashi. This ferociously aggressive polo type sport requires the freshly decapitated head of a goat. This then is thrown into the fields of galloping horse riders who try to grab and wrench it from each other and carry it across a goal. If the gory image of a blood-soaked decapitated goat head is displeasing to you, then take refuge in the fact that this perhaps was once played with prisoners of war. This sport has its versions all over Central Asia. In some places it is done with sheep's skin in a bid to signify that these places may have become a bit more moderate in showcasing violence. But that's not Afghanistan. What you get in Afghanistan is pure, untainted and timeless. 

We regularly use the moniker "The Graveyard of Empires" to denote Afghanistan and relish a sense of romanticism with Afghanistan. What we often tend to forget in our moments of romanticisation of Afghanistan is that empires have rarely declined very peacefully. And their tragic ends have often been gruesome. If you're awed by the beauty of Balkh then you should know that Timur erected splendid towers with the skulls of his enemies there. 

The rampant corruption, the incessant violence and the predatory tribalism that characterises Afghanistan of today has been gently nourished by centuries of violent invasion with their characteristic whirlwind of slaughters, by the grand politics between empires and by the uniquely beautiful but similarly rugged geography of Afghanistan. 

If you were perplexed by the Americans, arguably the most powerful country on earth now, coming to a deal with the Taliban to try and have a safe exit, be assured that the Americans weren't the first to do so. The British before them, after their first Anglo-Afghan war, also made a deal to have a safe exit from Afghanistan. And perhaps so did the many invaders before them.

So, it is no wonder that after centuries of terror instigating invaders, Afghans would naturally develop a distaste and suspicion of Firingis i.e. foreigners and have learnt to reply in kind to such people.

Upto this stage all that I've written is the dominant image of Afghanistan. But there is another Afghanistan lurking in the shadows that we seldom introduce to the world.

The legendary cruelty and violence is starkly matched by the hospitality and humanity of normal Afghans. Normal Afghans aren't bloodthirsty beasts or savages that some people would like to point out. Even the poorest herders would share their share of the meat with you and give you their own rug so that you can sleep snuggly in a warm cosy environment in their tent while they battle it out with the elements.

Family is very important to Afghans. Each family supports all the members and lives as one unit and is usually headed by a Patriarch. Pashtunwali or the Pashtun way envisages hospitality, provision of sanctuary to one seeking refuge and revenge for the shedding of blood. Moreover, respect for elders is sacrosanct. 

This cultural understanding is something that American led multinational forces didn't grasp in various stages. They violated a lot of these traditional customary rules. For example, entering the houses without permission and insulting or manhandling tribal elders and inevitably making more enemies in the process.

Outlook for Bangladeshi Foreign Policy

External imposition of cultural or social norms have never gone down well in most countries except perhaps in post war Germany and Japan. And that owes to devastating defeat and peoples' desire to change. Expecting deeply traditional Afghans to accept what we would aspire for them to accept was an unrealistic goal from the beginning. Does that mean that Afghanistan is doomed to remain this idyllic traditional country? I argue it is not. Afghanistan has changed and will undergo transformation as time progresses. As with any case of modernity being ushered into a deeply traditional country there are bound to be clashes and there are bound to be ups and downs.

Afghanistan will remain a key strategic arena for Bangladesh to keep an eye out for. Some of the key names in our domestic terror instigation since the late 1980s have been the veterans of the Soviet-Afghan war. Thus keeping an eye out for updates on what's happening inside Afghanistan isn't only necessary but also wise.

The Taliban are a group with whom we disagree a lot on a lot of principles and values. None of their previous governance styles have been even remotely palatable for us. That doesn't mean Bangladesh should close all windows. The very first thing with regards to foreign policy is that one should never mix it with personal emotions and beliefs. 

Pragmatism isn't simply a buzzword to be thrown around casually while explaining International Relations but also a serious policy outlook tool to be utilised when needed. Previous Taliban activities have been displeasing to us and a lot of their upcoming policies are going to remain unpalatable for us. But if we only dealt with those who are ideologically, politically and belief-wise palatable for us then there was no need to study the complexities of International Relations for us. We could all ride in our Bentleys towards the setting Sun and sing Kumbaya.

Bangladeshi NGO, BRAC, has been active there and has done an excellent job. It has educated 200,000 children and most of them are girls. While we've noticed a shift in Taliban stance and a reduced hostility towards female education, we've also seen a discordance in Taliban stance and should be aware that not all of the Taliban leadership agree on female education. 

The excellent work is under threat as witnessed with BRAC repatriating some of its workforce. We should maintain a communication channel to make sure that none of our citizens are harmed and try to find a way so that the excellent work can continue. Being a moderate Muslim country with an ever-progressing track record of female empowerment and female education, Bangladesh can show Afghanistan the way forward. 

Just like many Kashmiri and Nepali students come to Bangladesh for medical and other studies, Bangladesh should offer extended scholarships to Afghan students, especially girls, to come and get a higher degree. Our focus should be on alleviating the ailments of normal Afghans and as such our connection should be with normal Afghans. 

Whoever comes to power in Kabul should be treated with caution. We should accept the reality and be ready to work with anyone that holds the reins of power in Afghanistan. Under no circumstance should Bangladesh get involved with any warring parties and retain our focus on being a true development partner.

Afghanistan also allows us an economical opportunity with its untapped natural resources and its agricultural sector. Bangladeshi made electronic products, agricultural products, various finished goods and our manufacturing sector can tap into Afghan potential. The most important thing Bangladesh can offer Afghanistan is our development story, how we transformed from a basket case to an Asian Tiger. 

The journey isn't going to be easy. The Chinese are already there in the mining industry, Pakistan might not like a lot of the things that we do and other regional players like Iran, Russia and India will be watching our every move. But we can deal with it with pragmatic and robust diplomacy. 

The alternative of letting go of the hands of normal Afghan citizens to their fates is too costly. It'll be betraying our own constitutional commitment to support the oppressed people and to end injustice in the world, both of which Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made references to, in his 1973 Algiers NAM Summit and in his 1974 UN General Assembly Speech.