The great game among errant kids

 Let’s talk about Afghanistan from the geostrategic point of view. Please don’t feel bad if the life of an Afghani citizen is seen almost inconsequential in this talk about ‘the great game’. Geostrategic maneuvering is primarily about the interests of the superior powers. The interests of the hosting yard, where the game is fought, are inconsequential. Whoever goes to Afghanistan doesn’t go there as an enemy of Afghanistan. He goes there as someone else’s enemy. The Britishers went there as the enemies of Russians. The Americans went there as the enemies of Russians. Presently, Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran are there as the enemies of America. Pakistan has more reasons to meddle there. They are there as the enemies of India as well. The Afghan tragedy is that nobody has gone there as a friend of Afghanistan. It is always some outsider’s enemy. And enemy’s enemy makes a very shaky friendship. China and Russia will realize it during the coming decades. For the Russians it will be a repeat lesson if they cross over the line again. And a superpower intoxicated China has to learn this Afghan lesson inevitably if it really wants to claim superpower status.

The Afgahnis have more or less accepted poverty as their most prized asset at the cost of their fierce pride, clan loyalty, spirit of independence and a culture of killing and dying. Dying and killing isn’t too much a shock in Afghanistan. It’s very easily digested. Craze is craze. Someone fights for superpower status, the Afghanis fight to keep their ideology and medieval principles. It’s their opium. They love taking long draughts at it. It’s good that Americans have packed their bags. Instead of having their army in the enemy’s backyard, it’s more practical to have a lethal naval unit that can move to any part of the world with effective deterrence. On top of it, take a quantum jump in space warfare. Be several years ahead of the nearest rival. Be in a position to harm the enemy’s space assets. It’s just like sitting on high ridges from where you can easily those coming up the slopes. The formula is: Be up there in the skies, higher than the others and trample down your enemy if they dare to stare at you in the skies.

The ‘graveyard of empires’ is surely going to be the graveyard of the next superpower also. Taliban know that they aren’t supporting Taliban as such. The Chinese are merely opposing the Americans. In this, the Chinese are repeating the American mistakes of nurturing a genie that is sure to go against the master at any cost. In future, fundamentalist Islam is a bigger threat to China than America. America hasn’t reformation camps for Muslims. There an ordinary Muslim goes about his/her routine without too much pressure on their faith. The insurgent groups in Central Asia and Taliban are well aware of what is happening to Uighur Muslims. It’s a temporary accommodation on their part to take China as an ally. One, but, must not forget that fundamentalist Islam’s first priority is keeping their faith intact, however objectionable the outer world finds it. So China will surely realize it later. A badland of blood thirsty Jihadis isn’t that much of a threat to America as it’s to China. Superpower status definitely costs you the sleep of a few nights. Let the situation keep worsening in China’s backyard and its flares will surely reach the Red bastion. In fact, by being there America was doing a bigger favor to the Chinese than to itself.

What about Pakistan? They haven’t learnt any lessons from their fire-mongering against India, which ultimately destroyed them to the extent of making them a vassal state of China. Wait, China is a very tough taskmaster. Imran Khan, your Red Father will extract the costs with a nice rate of interests. Chinese are not Americans that they will pour billions of dollars in the name of fighting terrorism while you keep sheltering Osama Bin Laden. They know how to take more at the cost of giving less. Very strict businessman, I tell you. A democratic creditor will at the most pull your ears and shout at you for bunking your payments. However, an autocratic creditor will spit at your face and put its index finger in your ass for the littlest error. So take care!

What about the modern, educated, cultured voice of sanity in Afghanistan? They have no option. They have to leave and set up their world at some other place. Simple message for them is ‘please leave at any cost, however possible.’ Pakistan you be careful of TTP. They will continue pulling your beard. China don’t count off ETIM like you have done so far. Taliban is a great encouraging example for them. They have an idol now in the form of a triumphant radical Islam. India, keep supplying the Northern Alliance with material help because as a regional power aspirant you too are helpless. So to keep your interests, you supply guns to the Northern Alliance. America, you please keep a low profile for some time and focus on your technologies. There is no need to get into a street brawl with the Red bully who wants to dissipate you. You just mind your own business for some time and don’t get instigated by the puns and pranks about your so called ‘defeat’ in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, victory and defeat mean almost the same. Their own defeat is no defeat. And the outsider’s victory is no victory. Why the hell people go there to fight. It looks like a circus ring now. Abandon it. Of course, help those who want to come out, give them visas and facilitate their rehabilitation. But allow the medieval species to lead their lives as they deem fit. And the fight for world supremacy has better avenues. This barren land is very boring. Go and write success stories on the sea. Have countless submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers. There is more mobility. Now please disturb the aquatic world. There has been enough terrestrial mischief. And run to the high ridges, I mean go higher into the skies and throw pebbles from there at your enemy’s pot. Well, in any case space wars will acquire legitimacy very soon. So why bother about these poor Afghans. Leave them at peace in their caves, elder councils, medieval beliefs and chuckled smiles at both dying and killing.