U.S. Interests & Afghanistan

By Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.

The war in Afghanistan, now in its sixth year, is surely one of the least reported wars in modern times. The lack of attention it receives tends not only to shield the Soviet Union from criticism of the atrocities it is perpetrating on the Afghan people, but also to blur Americans' understanding of our interests there. What are these interests?

First, we have an interest in the independence and integrity of Afghanistan. To permit Afghanistan to be conquered by the Soviet Union would be to acquiesce in a significant weakening of the United Nations Charter and the international effort to prevent aggression by one state against another. We must continue to press for Soviet withdrawal.

Second, we have an interest in the human rights of the Afghan people. The Soviets and their puppet regime in Kabul have been killing, torturing, and imprisoning without trial thousands of Afghans. Loyalty to our own principles demands that we do all we can to bring pressure on the Soviets to end those atrocities.

Third, the plight of three to four million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran, as well as of the population left behind in Afghanistan, requires our attention as a matter of humanitarian concern. We should continue to contribute in any way we can to assist these people through both private and governmental sources.

Fourth, the situation of Pakistan deserves special attention. Aid to the Afghan freedom fighters must pass through Pakistan, which bears the largest burden of assistance to Afghan refugees. That country clearly has an interest in preventing Soviet domination of Afghanistan, but it is already threatened by the Soviets, who have bombed some of its border areas. It is in our interest to support Pakistan's efforts to assist the Afghan resistance and to help Pakistan with the burden of the Afghan refugees. We also can deal most effectively with our own problems with Pakistan, such as its nuclear program and its human rights policy, within the context of a close and supportive security relationship. There will be some cost in terms of our relations with India, but we will have to continue trying to convincethe Indians that our aid to Pakistan not only poses no threat to India, but helps keep the Soviets out of the sub-continent.

Iran Should Not Be Ignored

Finally, we should not lose sight of Iran. An independent Iran continues to be in our national interest. Soviet gains in Afghanistan can threaten Iran as well as Pakistan. It is perhaps difficult today to see how we can re-establish a productive relationship with Iran, but we should be careful not to make that goal even less attainable through policies or actions which needlessly antagonize Iran or which cause the Iranians to ignore our interests. We should be neutral in the Iran-Iraq conflict. We should deal severely with Iranian support of terrorism or other efforts to disrupt the Gulf region.

The policy directions which flow from our interests are the following:

Support for the Afghan freedom fighters. This support needs to be coordinated with other nations and to take into account Pakistani concerns.
Humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees and to the Afghan population inside the country. This assistance is channeled through United Nations and private voluntary organizations.
A stepped-up effort in the media, in the United Nations, and with private human rights organizations to bring to the attention of world public opinion the savage and brutal Soviet policies in Afghanistan.
Continuing support for United Nations mediation efforts, no matter how slim their chances for success may be. These efforts must concentrate on Soviet withdrawal and a restoration of Afghanistan's independence.
Military and economic assistance to Pakistan within a relationship which permits open discussion of both common problems and differences of opinion.
Patience and firmness in dealing with a revolutionary Iran, still the most populous and strategically important state in the region.

These policies may not soon cause the Soviets to cease their aggression against their neighbors, but they provide the best available means for protecting American interests in the region.

Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, is Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.