President Karzai’s Position on Crimea Joining Russia

Introduction

After the violent protests in Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich fled to Russia and the opposition who had west’s support came to power.

After theses development Russian army seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and held a referendum on March 16, 2014 which resulted in 96 of Crimeans voting to join Russia which faced tough criticism NATO and the United States.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai supported the joining of Crimea with Russia. He told in a meeting with American senators in Kabul that he respects the decision of the people of Crimea. He added that the people of Crimea in a referendum expressed what they want and decide to join Russia and Afghanistan respect this decision of the Crimeans.

American authorities called Karzai’s support of the referendum in Crimea as “unexpected move” and deplored it.

Afghanistan considered a US and NATO, why the President’s position on this issues is different than that of his allies? And what effects will this position have? International relations expert Dr. Salihi has analyzed Afghanistan’s and US relations in response to CSRS questions:

The Deteriorating Relation between Afghanistan and the United States

The relation between Afghan President and United States deteriorated after the second round of presidential election when President Barack Obama tried to support the opposition of Karzai on the pretext of what he called wide spread corruption in Afghan government.

The worsening relation at its first stages was hidden and not public, but since the last two years it is public, especially in the past one year since the security pact between Afghanistan and the United States is under consideration, the President criticize his western allies. In some cases he calls their presence in Afghanistan as occupation and in some cases he calls their presence colonial.

Some of the people think the statements of President Karzai show the independence of Afghanistan’s foreign policy, but in fact independency does not mean the deterioration of the relation with other countries, but independency mean that the President can decide in the favor of his country’s national interests while does not face any internal or foreign pressures, while the Afghan government faces pressures from within Afghanistan and also internationally not in a position to be able to discuss things with its long-term allies in a way to worsen relations. The independency in its today’s scope cannot be absolute because the world became a village and are connected with each other.

On the other hand, US want most countries in the world to support their positions and do not expect their allies under any circumstances to oppose. What the US want is not important, the important thing is the national interests of Afghanistan, where the Afghanistan now locates, which kind of relation with the world is in the favor of Afghanistan’s economy, society and culture development.

The case of Crimea is more political than be a legal one, Russia has tried not to be silent anymore against the west and think that it is time to stand, but the position of the Afghan President in the current situation when most of Afghanistan’s political, economic and military fields are being supported by west while support the Russia’s position can raise questions because Afghanistan needs more cooperation of the world community in different fields.

Regarding the Crimea case, most of the countries kept silence or chose to be nonpartisan, but the position of the President Karzai which absolutely supported the position of the Russia and opposed the United States position, might not be an action in favor of Afghanistan’s national interests. 

But since the presidential period is going to end it will not has that much effect and the western countries might not pay respect to that, but anyway it can dishearten the United States of America.

Karzai’s Recent Stance Stem from US Afghan Policy

Abdullah Elham Jamalzai, political analyst and writer believes that the recent position of the President is his right, and called it as a result of America’s Afghan policy. Mr. Jamalzai analyzed the recent position of the President in the reply to the CSRS questions:

I think that is not necessary that Afghanistan should support US or NATO’s position in foreign policy. The statements of the president Karzai is one of the attempts of using the means of public diplomacy. However this issue did not rose as a viewpoint of the official diplomacy of Afghanistan but had a clear message to the United States of America. Although, involvement in such important issues such is Crimea is not in Afghanistan’s interest, but the President revealed with his statement that however in the current situation encounter with any side including the west is not in favor of Afghanistan but wants independency in variety of fields.

The US media propaganda war which has begun in the last years and the selfish policies of the White House against the President Karzai has caused such a twist in the policies of the President, but however it is a tactic.

As US was hurting Afghanistan national interests and tried different ways to force Karzai for making what they want to impose on him, Karzai on the other hand tried to use all the opportunities he had in public diplomacy to oppose these pressures. President Karzai broke the silence which he chose against US and NATO’s policies, which was also because he had no choice.

In the case of Crimea, the president showed that he is independent in his foreign policy and it is not necessary that Afghanistan should obey the US and NATO’s policies, and as the President said in that case it would be the occupation form of the relation. 

From the diplomacy viewpoint the statement of the president was just his view not the final official position of Afghanistan. The President used the terms like respect to the “respect the decision of the people”, through which he wants to deliver an important messages to the United States of America or the west that Afghanistan wants independency not imposed by politics of others, which could be noticed in the US politics in the past years.

This position of the President will also not a huge impact, because it had political and propaganda aims to warn the west against policy they are perusing especially in recent years. If it will have any impact it will be a positive impact for Karzai’s positions.

President Karzai on one hand showed his efforts for an independent foreign policy and on the other hand it was an effort to keep influencing the dispute between him and the US.

United States want Afghanistan to support their viewpoint in the foreign policy, but none of the countries want be under the control of a side in their politics especially in foreign policies. Afghanistan had no choice when they called for the support of US, NATO and the world community to overcome the problems, but US and the west pursues their own interests in their support, therefore it is natural that sometimes they try to impose their politics on Afghanistan, in the response President Karzai from the beginning had tried to prove his independency through his actions. He increased these actions in the recent years trying to make US listen to Afghanistan.