Most people unfamiliar with the history of Central and South Asia do not realise the problems of Afghanistan's civil unrest.
Many thought of this country's civil war based on civilized people against the religious fanatic right. This is actually not the case or even the cause of the Afghan war.
Civil unrest in Afghanistan goes all the way back to the foundations of the country in 1747 when Pakhtun tribes led by Shah Abdali forged non-Pakhtun and Pakhtun areas into one state.
Though many ethnic groups in Afghanistan, particularly the Tajiks, have contested Pakhtun rule, the country has remained under the domination of Pakhtuns, right up till the the beginning of the Afghan-Soviet war. Once the war ended, the Taliban who were also Pakhtun took power in the country.
Their persecution of Hazaras and other non-Pakhtuns was not in the name of Islam, but rather out of traditional Pakhtun hatred for other ethnicities.
The other non-Pakhtun ethnicities also have had their differences amongst each other.
But when it came to challenging the power of the Pakhtuns, they formed a united front called the Northern Alliance.
The Northern Alliance consisted mainly of Iranic speaking Tajiks and Turkic speaking Uzbeks.
The Tajiks had close linguistic ties to Iran, while the Turkic speaking Uzbeks had close linguistic ties to Turkey.
Both ethnicities fought side by side under the common goal of defeating Pakhtun hegemony in Afghanistan and had the support of Turkey and Iran. Pakistan on the other hand saw this as a threat of Iranian influence gaining a stronghold in Afghanistan and it's access to energy rich Central Asia.
Additionally, Pakistan's Northwestern parts are Pakhtun. There are more Pakistani Pakhtuns than Afghan Pakhtuns. Until recently many Pakhtuns in Pakistan's government had strong support for their ethnic brethren across the border.
Even if the Taliban had not been religious extremists, they would still have fought against the other non-Pakhtuns of Afghanistan.
Even if the Taliban and Al-Queda are fully defeated, the civil unrest in Afghanistan is due to ethnic and linguistic hostility.
The current administration in Afghanistan is predominantly Pakhtun, which has only increased tensions. Even during the Afghan elections in 2008-2009, the Pakhtuns voted for Hamid Karzai while the Tajiks voted for Abdullah Abdullah, former member of the Northern Alliance.
The armed forces of Afghanistan are predominantly Tajik, who are secretly targeting Pakhtuns.
Even violence towards other ethnic groups by the Pakhtuns is strong in Afghanistan as seen in this video. Warning: do not watch if you are disturbed by violent footage.
This ethnicity-based violence was clear during the Afghan civil war and is continuing even after the NATO occupation of Afghanistan, but more undercover.
Unless and until NATO sees the problem of ethnic divide in Afghanistan, the civil unrest will continue with or without the Taliban and Al-Queda.
The best solution in my judgment is the formation of a regime with people of multiple ethnicities to remove the tension between the Afghan people. Under such a regime, the feeling of being ruled by one dominant ethnic group will be far less and may ease tensions.
The sooner it is done, the faster the civil unrest and ethnic tensions may reduce. Although easier written or said than done, it is possibly the best solution.
To learn more about this issue, readers should research the history of Afghanistan and the ethnic hostilities in the country.
As the American administration states, Pakistan has a key role in the re-stabilization of Afghanistan.
Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, being key supporters of rival ethnic groups in the country should work together with or without NATO for the formation of this multi-ethnic regime to defuse the ongoing cycle of civil unrest in order to restore peace in Afghanistan and the region.
This topic was also apparently covered in 2003 by Charles Santos in this important article.
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