Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Moscow last month for the first bilateral summit between the two countries in two decades. The last official visit from Afghanistan to Moscow at the presidential level was during the era of Mohammad Najibullah when the Soviet Union withdrew forces. During his visit, Karzai invited Russia to rebuild Soviet-era facilities in Afghanistan.
"We want to give a new start to vital projects that were begun very long ago", Karzai, on his second visit to Moscow in six months, said at a news conference with President Dmitry Medvedev after their talks at the Kremlin.
The recently negotiated projects included the Salang Tunnel in the Hindu Kush Mountains as well as hydroelectric power facilities in Kabul and Baglan provinces, a customs terminal, and a university in the Afghan capital. During the joint declaration Russia expressed its readiness to participate in priority economic projects in Afghanistan, some of them dating back to the Soviet era. Current projects can be evaluated as a tool for broader Russian politics on Afghanistan, which have a long history and mainly relay on the idea that Russia is seeking to increase its influence in Afghanistan.
Karzai has turned to Moscow because Washington is displeased with Karzais moves to accelerate reconciliation with the Taliban, while his step challenges the United States regional strategies. On the other hand, Karzai is making persistent efforts to particularly develop ties with Russia, including military cooperation, so as to reduce his dependence on the U.S. by the 2014 timeline. Speaking to the graduates of the Kabul Military Academy, Karzai said that if Americans did not speed up the implementation of the program to supply armed forces, the task would be carried out by other countries. The Russian president expressed readiness to help the Afghan armed forces. Moreover, the White House has withdrawn support for Karzai also because the Barack Obama administration blames him for the drug-based economy and corruption.
As a result, Russia appears as an actor that is playing an increasingly larger role in the country and is gradually expanding the range and intensity of its engagement.
Why Afghanistan matters for Russia
First of all, the U.S. increased its existence in the Central Asia via military bases an act that Russia has perceived as coming at the expense of its security. However, after a while, Russian thinking has adjusted to the reality that the United States and its allies could not easily contain the Islamic insurgency in Afghanistan. It can be said that by 2009, Russian leaders started to become concerned that the Obama administration might suddenly withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which could result in Russia alone having to deal with the threat that a resurgent Taliban would pose to Central Asia and Russia itself. Russias internal conflicts, which have been continuing since the 1990s, coupled with its memories of the Chechen War and the USSRs experience in Afghanistan, mean the Kremlins sensitivity on rising Islamic radicalism might be better understood. Accordingly, Moscow decided to help the U.S. put together the Northern Distribution Network, a re-supply route that facilitates the overland transit of non-lethal goods from Europe to Afghanistan.
Moreover, the U.S. presence in the region is not the solution since it is only a military existence. Indeed, regarding Obamas decision in December 2009 to beef up the U.S presence in Afghanistan, from 33,000 to more than 60,000 troops, very few Afghans view the proposed increase as anything but a disaster. Considering that When Afghans look at the U.S. troops, they see killers, Afghans are citing the presence of U.S. forces as part of the problem rather than the solution.
Secondly, for the Kremlin, two main threats emanating from Afghanistan are drug traffic and terrorism. Russia sees the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan as a top priority since Afghanistan is the world's leading opium producer. Russia, which deals with demographic problems regarding alcohol and a low birth rate, is now facing the new, challenging issue of drug problems, especially with its young population.
Thirdly, while Moscow supports the U.S./NATO position in Afghanistan, it nevertheless tries to differentiate Russia from the West in ways that Moscow hopes will boost its standing in the eyes of Karzais administration in Kabul. While Obama-Karzai relations are at a low ebb, Russian policy has sought to emphasize Moscows long-term interest in a stable Afghanistan.
The Kremlin, by taking advantage of the tension between the Obama government and Karzai, is boosting cooperation with Afghanistan and strengthening its position as the pre-eminent actor in regional affairs.
In other words, Russia is appearing to cooperate with Western actors in Afghanistan, such as the U.S. and NATO, while also taking initiatives to strengthen its position sometimes in expanse of the U.S. since it has its own national interest which drives the Kremlin to take an active role in Afghanistan.
* This comment is first published at Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review
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