UAE’s entry into Afghanistan is good news for India
The UAE’s entry into Afghanistan is expected to increase in scope there, giving it a lever over the Taliban. For India, which has sent its high-level delegation to Kabul for talks, and which has forged a unique partnership with the UAE, this is only good news
By Aditi Bhaduri
The United Arab Emirates is back as a player in the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The Abu Dhabi-based GAAC Solutions has been handed over the management of the airports in Herat, Kabul, and Kandahar. Turkey, the UAE’s geopolitical rival, has been angling for this deal. This is a significant development, given that for a while now the UAE had been trying to make itself relevant to Afghanistan.
There was a time, when the UAE was only one of three countries — along with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — to have maintained diplomatic ties with Taliban 1.0. But with the fall of Kabul in 2001, the UAE became increasingly estranged from the Taliban.
In Tunisia, in the Palestinian Territories in Egypt, Qatar supported Islamist parties and governments like that of Mohameed Morsi. When, as a result, the UAE, together with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain imposed a boycott of Qatar, the sheikhdom turned to Turkey, and Iran to tide over the boycott, and blockade. While Qatar pumped money and investments into Turkey, Turkey helped Qatar militarily in places like Libya, against proxies backed by the UAE.
Qatar has positioned itself as a mediator, institutionalised in its foreign policy objectives. Allowing the Taliban to set up office in Doha in 2012, and facilitating the US-Taliban engagement was a major initiative. The Taliban, much like the Muslim Brotherhood or Iran, constitutes an immense threat to the Gulf monarchies by legitimising political Islam. The UAE also tried but unsuccessfully, to host the Taliban. In 2017 its ambassador to Kabul and a delegation were killed in Kandahar by Pakistan-backed groups. Fingers pointed at the Taliban. Finally, the UAE settled for giving asylum to ousted and discredited former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
When the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August, editorials in most of the Gulf press were harsh and outlined the dangers of political Islam yet again rearing its head in the region. Clearly Qatar and Turkey, whose President Reccep Tayib Erdogan is a supporter of political Islam, had the upper hand in the Afghan arena. Turkey in particular saw itself as a bridge between Nato and a fellow Muslim country. These calculations, however, have not been quite realised.
As a Nato member, Turkey, which had the largest non-combative troop presence in Afghanistan, did not quite win over the Taliban’s trust. Moreover, it is seen as being close to the Rashid Dostum faction, a sworn foe of the Taliban. Afghan refugees have been pushed out of Turkey.
Talks about Turkey managing Afghan airports have dragged on for months. Qatar too has not quite been able to render Taliban the support it requires.
Almost a year into office, the Taliban have not been recognised diplomatically by any country except by Qatar, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. Qatari largesse has not been sufficient to fend off the humanitarian crisis inside Afghanistan or the economic crisis engulfing it now, with Afghan money frozen in US banks. Currently, the Taliban is also embroiled in a conflict with its one time mentor and close Turkey ally – Pakistan. The shift to the UAE stems from these contradictions.
The UAE’s entry into Afghanistan is expected to increase in scope there, giving it a lever over the Taliban. In West Asia, the UAE is trying to forge a progressive, pluralistic path, with emphasis on tolerance, religious harmony, and pluralism. It is expected to sow, with time, such seeds in Afghanistan.
For India, which has sent its own high-level delegation to Kabul for talks with the Taliban, and which has forged a unique partnership with the UAE, this is only good news. Moreover, both India and the UAE, which are known to have co-operated in Yemen, are currently serving as non-permanent members on the UN Security Council. Both having been singed by the fires of radicalism and terrorism, including from Af-Pak, can enter into meaningful co-operation in Afghanistan.
This article first appeared here
