Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-afghanistan-business-china-religion-6df7983f4446fe38119d4d4dc04782d0
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the state has devolved into utter chaos. An economic and humanitarian crisis is plaguing the country right now as the new government is unable and unwilling to support educational programs, a starvation crisis, and more. This destabilization has deeply disturbed other countries in the region like Pakistan and India.
However, this destabilization after the United States armed forces withdrawal has presented an opportunity for other emerging and established powers to add Afghanistan to their neo-colonial possessions, specifically China.
Diplomatic envoys from China, the Russian Federation, Pakistan, Iran, and more are all in Afghanistan right now discussing with Afghani diplomats and addressing concerns like Afghanistan becoming a terrorist safe haven, lack of opportunities for women, and a rapidly corroding humanitarian situation.
This action taken by China is very similar to its actions in Eastern Africa. In East Africa, China is making investments in infrastructure and other sectors in hopes of forming a neo-colonial empire. China also does this by indebting countries to the Chinese economic system where they are then pseudo-vassals of China.
However, this strategy may be impossible in Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s situation may be too volatile in comparison to the Eastern African states. Also, with other regional powers like Pakistan and India also jumping at this opportunity, China may have less of a claim to establishing some order in Afghanistan. Pakistan especially may have the best claim for establishing order in Afghanistan as they are also Sunni Muslims and they border Afghanistan’s western border. However, in East Africa, a shatterbelt without a well established regional hegemon, China is able to insert itself.
This article reflects the importance of comparative government because the way countries address foreign policy has to differ depending on the economic, religious, social, and political conditions of the country they are dealing with. For example, the economic, religious, social, and political conditions are very different in the states in Eastern and Sub-Saharan Africa compared to Afghanistan. Therefore, China will have to invest and give humanitarian aid differently in Africa than they do in Afghanistan.
Also, this reflects the importance of ethnic tensions and how a country’s domestic policy affects its international reputation and policy. China is well known for its treatment of its Uyghur Muslim population in the Xinjiang region of northwest China. Therefore, an extremist Muslim government may be hesitant to make deals with China.