The Matter of this blog is a true example of a tussle between the importance of collective and individual security. Today, if you would ask Americans about the status of Afghanistan, they would voice concerns about international security, scruple, and stability. But the next statement of theirs would be a matter of individual security, mainly infringement and disguise against women by the brutal Taliban. Despite the acknowledgment of the latter by several countries like India, China, and the Middle East, they continued their trade and commerce with the Taliban authorities holding office. The world closely watched what unfolded in Kabul, many remained silent, and many chided, but in the end, the ground situation faced by women remains intact and ‘silent’ in the international media. This silence in the international media is yet another conception one could draw using the speech act framework and ‘security as silence’. Through 'not-speaking' international media de-securitised this issue. On the other hand, Afghani women don’t have the liberty to speak and hence, their insecurity can’t be voiced.
Through this, in my blog post, I am using three critical security frameworks to comment on its ground reality on the international stage. A new perspective indeed, reflecting how larger power politics and other factors prioritize some and belittle the rest. This crisis is further getting pushed aside by the priority of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Again, the victory of a powerful male on the throne (referring to the leaders of the countries) over the non-recognition of the rights of the rest 50% of the population.
The withdrawal of international forces emboldened the Taliban, enabling them to rapidly seize control of territory and impose their draconian interpretation of Islamic law. In this volatile environment, women have borne the brunt of the Taliban's atrocities, facing widespread gender-based violence, forced marriages, and restrictions on their freedom and rights. In two and half years, the Taliban has created the worst women's rights issue on the planet. The Taliban, as the de facto authority in many areas, are the primary perpetrators of these atrocities, using violence and intimidation to enforce their oppressive ideology and maintain control over Afghan society.
The survivability and non-malleableness of the concept of ‘security’, which Weaver explains is attached to the state, has evolved because the military was the only means through which a state’s survivability was balanced on. But a question on the relevancy of this fact in the 21st century will reveal subtle rational insights that were the reason behind the solidification of the fact in the first place, and through minimally further reasoning we can propose a new fact. Today we ask what factors a state’s survivability depends on the answer is the conglomeration of- border security, economic, cultural, political, etc. Because of globalization and advancements in technology, the interconnectedness of the world has diversified the arenas of the presence of national security.
Under the Taliban regime, women’s struggle is a battle for identity. Ole Weaver distinguishes national security and societal security into sovereignty and identity respectively. The suppression of women's rights is done in conformity to the identity of women that is ingrained in those illiterate Talibanists. This also demonstrates how the patriarchal structure has subsumed into their very thinking process. On the contrary, women’s struggle is a form of revisionism not intently against the order, but the distinguished understanding of identities.
Taliban regime has a major element on its side- authority and access to the use of force. Its use became legitimate and reasonable as long as a matter of security is at state- giving agency to women to conduct themselves will threaten the foundational vision of the society they wish to create. Foucault made us aware of the biopolitics that is at play. The body and its conduct like what to wear and how to behave have forcefully come under the control of the men (who enjoy national-level authority).
Here Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law also comes into the picture; since it’s very open-ended, its interpretation is left to the authority, which creates teleological problems for women. Since the authority will constitute elite men of the society. So institutionally, the power over women’s conduct and behaviour is only with men.
Citations
AP. 2023. ‘Taliban Believe Afghanistan Rule Is “Open-Ended”, Don’t Plan to Lift Ban on Female Education’. The Hindu, 16 August 2023, sec. World. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/taliban-believe-afghanistan-rule-is-open-ended-dont-plan-to-lift-ban-on-female-education/article67200182.ece.
BBC News. 2014. ‘What Is Sharia Law? What Does It Mean for Women in Afghanistan?’, 7 May 2014, sec. World. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-27307249.
‘How the Taliban Enables Violence Against Women’. n.d. United States Institute of Peace. Accessed 22 April 2024. https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/12/how-taliban-enables-violence-against-women.
Mogul, Sahar Akbarzai, Shafi Kakar,Rhea. 2022. ‘Taliban to Impose Their Interpretation of Sharia Law in Afghanistan’. CNN. 15 November 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/asia/taliban-afghanistan-sharia-law-intl-hnk/index.html.
Hansen, Lene. 2000. “The Little Mermaid’s Silent Security Dilemma and the Absence of Gender in the Copenhagen School.” Millennium 29 (2): 285–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298000290020501
Foucault, Michel. 1978. The History of Sexuality. Print. Book. Translated by Robert Hurley and Random House, Inc. Volume I: An Introduction. Pantheon Books. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/special/endsandbeginnings/foucaultrepressiveen278.pdf
Great blog, Priyansh! The US leaving Afghanistan has led to women's rights being completely suppressed by the Taliban and I think US invading a country and taking their sovereignty into its own hand in the name of war on terror as well as the promise of 'saving' women is not justified and an amicable solution must be discussed where Afghanistan is not to be neo-colonized and women's rights are to reinstated gradually. Let me know what you think :)
Thank you for shedding light on the critical issue of women's rights in Afghanistan amidst the complex dynamics of international security and power politics. You mentioned that the concept of 'security as silence' within the international media, where the lack of attention and coverage effectively de-securitizes the issue of women's rights violations in Afghanistan. How can civil society organizations and advocacy groups effectively amplify the voices of Afghan women and bring attention to their plight on the global stage, especially considering the geopolitical complexities and interests at play?
Thank you for this insightful blog. Why do you believe countries such as India, China, and nations in the Middle East should have an issue with establishing trade ties with Afghanistan? Don't you think prioritizing ideology over practical considerations could impact a country's international reputation and economic interests, as exemplified by the USA?
Hey, Priyansh. The complex network of authority and control over women's lives under the Taliban is exposed by this analysis. However, how can international diplomacy enforce actual protection against the systematic oppression of Afghan women?
Interesting to read! how he discusses about Afghanistan's crisis, focusing on how both national and personal safety clash. It criticizes global silence on Afghan women's suffering under Taliban rule. It uses ideas from security experts to show how power is used to oppress. It action to stop violence and control over women.