This post is a response
to this article.
In Kandahar, Afghanistan,
the name Abdul Raziq can be associated with the word fear. General Abdul Raziq
is the police chief of the province of Kandahar. In his time as chief, General
Raziq has lead a persistent fight against the Taliban. According to the New
York Times article “Powerful Afghan Police Chief Puts Fear in Taliban and TheirEnemies”, under General Raziq “insurgent attacks in the city have fallen by
two-thirds, according to Western Estimates”. For these changes, General Raziq
has received praise because now even the sound of his name strikes fear in the
Taliban.
How exactly did General
Abdul Raziq cast such a level of fear? In his three years of reign as one of
the most powerful Generals of Kandahar, General Abdul Raziq has impressed the
people of Kandahar and even American forces. General Abdul’s platform is
anti-Taliban, but he started his mission by regulating a drug trade that was
affecting the border. In addition to many successful stand-off’s with the
Taliban in 2011 under General Raziq, Ahmed Wali Karzai was killed. Ahmed Wali
Karzai was a particular person of interest because he allegedly abused C.I.A
funding and took part in drug smuggling. The killing of Ahmed Wali Karzai
helped General Raziq gain untouchable respect. In “Powerful Afghan Police Chief Puts Fear in Taliban and Their Enemies”, a former governor of Kandahar said
“Raziq is the god, the prophet, the governor and the president here in
Kandahar”. Former Governor Gul Agha Shirzai’s words is the mindset that many
citizens have of General Raziq.
At what costs did General
Raziq become so powerful to be called a “god”? In the New York Times article
above, it is reported that General Raziq has been frequently criticized because
of human rights concerns. One particular accusation against General Raziq was
from a report from the United Nations in a human rights report where 81 people
have gone missing after being held in the Kandahar police custody. Yet, General
Raziq has not faced any serious consequences.
I would argue that General Raziq’s
influence can be characterized as hard power. The General’s police force has
been relentless in their anti-Taliban pursuit. But does hard power always
require human rights violations as collateral damage? If General Raziq was not
so cruel in his pursuit would he still hold the influence that he currently
holds? In General Raziq’s case I am not sure because his power stems from fear
even within the borders of his own city. Not to say that fear within the
borders of a state is required for hard power because it can mean security for
the citizens of the state. In General Raziq’s case however, I think fear is a
necessary component to his success.
Tyler: Good post. I am in agreement with you. Fear is a big component of General Raziq's reformation of Kandahar. His tactics for breaking down the Taliban is deinitely hard power and clearly it is working.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that this post highlights human rights violations enough. There is the mention of 81 people in custody going missing, but I believe you actually paint a picture of an efficient administrator. In a region where human rights violations are the norm it seems that 81 people in custody going missing is rather tame. Yes, it is bad, but it seems that people fear him more for his success regulating the drug trade and the death of Karzai than human rights violations.
ReplyDeleteNice Post Tyler! I agree with the two points already mentioned: fear is a big part of Raziq's power and that 81 people going missing is relatively small. His fear is a stabilizing component and a major factor of his success against the Taliban. 81 people going missing is small compared to all of the people that have died as a result of the civil war in Syria, the fight with ISIS, and other countries in the Middle East. People dying and going missing is still sad though; I am not trying to downplay it. Does the United States consider him a threat or an ally in the war on terrorism?
ReplyDeleteI agree, Raziq does seem to exhibit and use a lot of hard power. However, I would also argue that, since Afghanistan has a strong culture of individual warlords gaining power, especially with the post-colonial anarchy that began after the British, I believe, left. Raziq just seems to be another of those warlords. One of the most important factors in the rise and fall of a warlord is their ability to develop and maintain a cult of personality, which I would argue mostly falls under soft power. Good analysis overall!
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