Afghanistan in the International System

Abstract

The advance of the Taliban in northern Afghanistan and the control of Mazar-e-Sharif alarmed the region, particularly the neighboring countries. Central Asian countries worried about a boost in the Islamic extremism in their countries with the support of the Islamic government under the control of the Taliban. Years of the Soviet’s religious, linguistic, and ethnic suppression in Central Asia kept the seeds of freedom, independence, and self-determination beneath the soil. The Soviet retreat from Afghanistan watered these seeds and provided an environment in which to grow. In these newly formed independent countries Communism had lost its attraction long ago, but the western liberalism was too wild and too foreign for the Central Asian nations. Thus, a third alternative was something other than Communism or liberalism. In such an environment, the Muslim activists, who politicized Islam long ago, inspired Central Asia and established access to the Afghan Mujahideen after the PDPA coup in 1978 and the Soviet invasion in 1979.