The Heads of State of Afghanistan (Karzai), Pakistan (Zardari), and Iran (Ahmadinejad) met in Tehran on Sunday for the first trilateral meeting between the neighboring states in years. Extremism, terrorism, and drug trafficking were the main issues on the agenda, but the most important accomplishment was setting a tone of cooperation for future dealings. The one concrete outcome of the talks was the Tehran Statement, which is a pledge by all three to work together to ‘eradicate’ terrorism and drug trafficking across their respective borders.
Besides the usual anti-American swipes by Ahmadinejad, most statements made during and before the summit by the 3 leaders and their foreign ministries stressed the need for regional cooperation on the aforementioned problems, which truly are regional in nature. While Karzai argued for the three to act like ‘good neighbors’, his ministry also eloquently stated how further cooperation between these states was needed in “eradicating extremism, terrorism and drugs which run counter to Islamic beliefs and morals, and the culture and traditions of the three Islamic countries.”
Sorry to throw a sad water on a happy fire, but though these state actors have many reasons to cooperate, the past and present does not really make one optimistic. These states have failed to make significant partnerships in decades and a flashy meeting does not guarantee this has changed. Yes, the governments of Iran and Afghanistan desire the Taliban’s defeat, but this does not necessarily translate to firm action. It was only a month or two ago when the Afghan military was accussing Iran of funneling weapons to the Taliban, or at least not stopping the insurgent group from acquiring them. Even if Iran was dead set on getting rid of the Taliban, what could they really bring to the table militarily or politically? I’m afraid to say not much.
Regarding Pakistan and Afghanistan, we know their cooperation problems well. Pakistan and Iran also have a long history of Sunni/Shia regional rivalry to overcome. It also doesn’t help that Iran continues to oppose the US presence in Afghanistan, as Ahmadinejad’s statements showcase. Though President Obama has opened the door for negotiations and cooperation with Iran, specifically regarding Afghanistan, behind the door has not appeared much substance.
Check out this short video by Al Jazeera discussing Iran-US-Afghanistan relations:
I think this triumvarite should concentrate on drug trafficking and go from there. The Afghan military announced this weekend that they destroyed approxiametly 92 tons of ‘heroin-processing chemicals and bomb-making materials’ in Helmand Province, a good start. Tighter borders and more vigilant law enforcement by all three could pay dividends in at least slowing the opium drug trade.
