Analysis of the Intra-State Conflict in Afghanistan

Year 2020, Volume: 2 Issue: 3, 34 - 63, 13.05.2020

Mudassir Fatah

Abstract

Afghanistan has
been the hotbed of the international conflict since the Soviet invasion in
December 1979. The decade long foreign troop presence mainly initiated the
conflict within the different communities in Afghanistan. the withdrawal of the
Soviets in no way marked the end of the Afghan conflict. With the Soviet
withdrawal gave rise to a power vacuum and then the Taliban. The withdrawal of
the Soviets intensified the intra-state conflict in Afghanistan and also the
involvement of the external actors. The involvement of the external actors
further intensified the intra-state conflict and the same continued till 1996.
Afghanistan witnessed a kind of a stability for a brief period with the rise of
the Taliban. The Soviet invasion and the civil war had already given rise to
multiple militias and they continuously engaged the Taliban government/forces,
and Afghanistan never saw the peace. The Taliban government too was not
elected, so the challenges were bound to rise. The conflict continued till
2001. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US, the conflict in Afghanistan
took a new turn. US intervened in Afghanistan to dislodge the Taliban
government and started the war on terror. Again, number of international actors
fiercely got involved in Afghanistan. The United Nations, the NATO, Pakistan,
Iran, India, Turkey, etc. all are now involved in the race for dominating
Afghanistan, which further intensified the conflict in Afghanistan.

Keywords

Afghanistan, Intra-State Conflict, 9/11, International Actors, Taliban

Supporting Institution

International Relations Department, Sakarya University

Thanks

This research paper has been successful only with the help of my esteemed supervisor, Prof. Dr. Ertan Efegil. I would like to thank him for his cooperation and guidance. Thanks is also due to Turkiye Burslari for granting me research fellowship, as this paper is part of my postdoctoral research funded by YTB.

Analysis of the Intra-State Conflict in Afghanistan

Abstract

Afganistan, 1979 Aralık'ındaki Sovyet istilasından bu yana uluslararası
ihtilafın merkezi olmuştur.  Yabancı
askerlerin yıllara kadar Afganistan’da bulunması, oradaki farklı etkin gruplar
arasındaki çatışmalara yol açtı. Sovyetlerin geri çekilmesi hiçbir şekilde
Afgan ihtilafının sona ermesine sebep olamadı. Aksine bu bir güç boşluğuna
ardından Taliban'ın ortaya çıkmasına neden oldu. Sovyetlerin geri çekilmesi
Afganistan'daki devlet içi çatışmayı ve dış aktörlerin katılımını arttırdı. Dış
aktörlerin katılımı, devlet içi çatışmayı daha da yoğunlaştırdı ve aynı,
1996'ya kadar devam etti. Taliban'ın yükselişiyle Afganistan, kısa zamanlık bir
tür istikrar gördü. Sovyet istilası ve iç savaş çoktan milislere yol açmıştı.
Bu miliseler sürekli olarak Taliban’la savaş halinde olduğundan Afganistan da
huzuru görmedi. Taliban hükümeti de seçilmiş bir hükümet olmadığından
zorlukların artması tabiî idi. Böylece çatışmalar 2001 yılına kadar devam
etti.  ABD’ye yapılan 9/11 terörist saldırının
ardından Afganistan’daki çatışma yeni bir hal aldı. ABD, Taliban hükümetini
yerinden etmek için Afganistan'a müdahale etti ve terörle mücadeleye başladı.
Yine, Afganistan'da uluslararası aktörlerin yoğun sayısı yer aldı. Birleşmiş
Milletler, NATO, Pakistan, İran, Hindistan, Türkiye, vs. hepsi Afganistan’da
kendi etkisini arttırmak çabasında olduğundan Afganistan sorunu daha da
büyümektedir.

Keywords

Afganistan, Devlet-içi çatışma, 9/11, Uluslararası güçler, Taliban

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