November 2001 - VOLUME 22 - NUMBER 11
An Interview with Ahmed Rashid
Ahmed Rashid has covered the war in Afghanistan for more than 20 years. He is the author of Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (Yale University Press). He is the Central Asia correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and the Far Eastern Economic Review.
Unocal set up a training school for the Taliban in Kandahar. So there was a very close relationship |
Multinational Monitor: Why is Afghanistan important to the development
of Caspian oil resources? MM: You suggest in your book that Unocal was supportive of the
Taliban, but soured on them. What has been the Unocal-Taliban relationship
over the years? I think the relationship soured after the capture of Kabul by the Taliban
in 1996. Two or three things happened. First, Osama bin Laden arrived
and immediately linked up with the Taliban. So that was a concern to the
Americans. The second issue was a strong campaign waged by rights activists
in America, particularly the Feminist Majority led by Eleanor Smeal and
Mavis Leno, which lobbied Hilary Clinton and Madeleine Albright very fiercely
to stop the Unocal project and come out against the Talibans repression
of women. The Clinton administration was very sensitive to domestic political
opinion on this issue. MM: You suggest in your book that before that happened, the Clinton
administration viewed the Talibans rise favorably. Why was that
and what support if any, did the U.S. lend the Taliban during their ascendancy? MM: Do any of the international oil companies have ongoing relationships
with the Northern Alliance, the Taliban or any factions in Afghanistan? MM: How do you think the war in Afghanistan is likely to affect
development of the Caspian oil reserves, if at all? The other issue is that Caspian oil cannot be developed without a settlement
in Afghanistan because the risk of terrorism to a Caspian oil pipeline
is enormous. Until bin Laden and Al Qaeda are eliminated and you can secure
some stability from the overall threat of terrorism, you wont see
a pipeline. Thirdly, I hope this war in Afghanistan will lead to a U.S. policy of
engagement in problem-solving in the region. Im thinking in particular
of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, the Chechen conflict and the Georgian
conflict where the U.S. puts its muscle and clout behind mediation and
helping Russia and these regional countries in the Caucuses and the Caspian
resolve their differences. I think the experience of Afghanistan should point out to the United States that procrastinating or shelving these very contentious issues can turn into terrorism with very serious consequences for the United States. |
|
There was a lot of support from the Pentagon and the State Department for Unocal�s effort to build a pipeline in Afghanistan. | ||