(...) Respect for Afghanistan’s Sovereignty is a sine qua non condition to restoring the country to normalcy. The fact that a country such as Afghanistan expects and demands that its sovereignty be respected should not be misconstrued as a refusal to engage the outside world.
Sovereignty matters to the Afghans because it is tied to the legitimacy of the government that seeks to lead them.
Sovereignty should matter to the international actors involved in Afghanistan as well because a legitimized government is the first step towards viability — perhaps even democracy — and definitely a step closer towards the exit door for them.
Sovereignty, multilateral partnerships, and positive neutrality are the keys to restoring the delicate balance that will allow Afghanistan to return to normalcy and become a player and a partner, rather than a pawn, in the regional and international games. (...)
In Respecting Afghanistan's Sovereignty - Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Afghanistan, 1979-2009: In the Grip of Conflict. Pages 41-43
Sovereignty matters to the Afghans because it is tied to the legitimacy of the government that seeks to lead them.
Sovereignty should matter to the international actors involved in Afghanistan as well because a legitimized government is the first step towards viability — perhaps even democracy — and definitely a step closer towards the exit door for them.
Sovereignty, multilateral partnerships, and positive neutrality are the keys to restoring the delicate balance that will allow Afghanistan to return to normalcy and become a player and a partner, rather than a pawn, in the regional and international games. (...)
In Respecting Afghanistan's Sovereignty - Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Afghanistan, 1979-2009: In the Grip of Conflict. Pages 41-43
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Assem Akram was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. After being actively involved in the Resistance movement against the Soviet occupation, he later moved on to earn his Ph.D in History from the Paris Sorbonne University and has authored four books to date - two works on Afghan history and two books of fiction.
Assem Akram lives in the United States where he actively follows the situation in Afghanistan and occasionally comments on them. He currently teaches a class at American University’s School of International Service on the subject of “Afghanistan: Conflict and Society.”
Assem Akram was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. After being actively involved in the Resistance movement against the Soviet occupation, he later moved on to earn his Ph.D in History from the Paris Sorbonne University and has authored four books to date - two works on Afghan history and two books of fiction.
Assem Akram lives in the United States where he actively follows the situation in Afghanistan and occasionally comments on them. He currently teaches a class at American University’s School of International Service on the subject of “Afghanistan: Conflict and Society.”
