In an interesting turn of events, the Russian envoy to the UN Mr. Churkin recently issued a statement condemning Western overtures toward more moderate elements within the Taliban and calling for an end to any contacts with this fundamentalist group.
Equally interesting was a recent Russian decision to invite the leadership of Hamas to Moscow to hold talks at the same Ministry of Foreign Affairs which called for boycotting the Taliban. In The New York Times we read about Western criticism of Russia for its prosecution of several members of yet another Islamic group, Hizbut-Tahrir, that is considered a terrorist organization in Russia, but not so in the West.
There was a popular phrase about “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” It looks like now one man’s terrorist is another man’s negotiations partner. It seems that one has to be careful deciding which terrorists to talk to, and which to fight against. And if the US and Russia are to work together to fight terrorism, a common approach to identifying potential interlocutors seems necessary.
Both countries have extreme exposure to Islamic fundamentalism, and hence their common interest. The US is exposed directly and via its allies in almost the entire Middle East and Southeast Asia, most directly in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and so is Israel, a close US ally. Russia is exposed most directly in the North Caucasus (Chechnya, Dagestan, and other republics of the region) with a potential of it spreading to Tatarstan and other Muslim-populated regions, and via its allied regimes in Central Asia (Tajikistan, for one).
There is no question that the two countries should cooperate. Whether or not there are moderate elements within the Taliban that can be a part of a stable government, and for how long, is a question for more in-depth analysis, and perhaps a question that time will answer. But whatever the arrangement, Russia should be happy with anything that is stable and durable and cooperate with the US and NATO.
What is even more intriguing about the Russian statement is that it essentially encourages the US to stand firm against the Taliban and not let Afghanistan become a sanctuary for radical groups. Clearly, Russia is worried about the instability near its “soft underbelly,” and rightly so. The Russian leadership hopes that the US and its allies succeed in their mission and seems aware of its shared interests with the West. This is quite a change from the Soviet era, and one can only hope that the Russian leadership moves toward greater cooperation with the US and NATO in this and other theaters of war against terrorism. If there are shared interests, there should be shared action.
Arthur Khachikian is a graduate of Stanford University and a Senior Associate at PFA, a Washington based advocacy group.
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