Turkey sees Afghanistan as lever for global agenda - analysis
Ankara is pursuing both its Islamic and pragmatic geopolitical agendas in Kabul. Despite its concerns, it sees the Taliban win as a boost for its global aspirations.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
AUGUST 22, 2021
Turkey is desperate to find a way to work with the Taliban and get control of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. It has several agendas. It wants to control Afghanistan as a key route to China and Iran and also to sit astride global jihadist moments from Idlib to Kabul so that it can use them for its own agenda to become an Islamic world leader.
Turkey’s ruling AKP party is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and it wants to work with Malaysia, Pakistan and other countries on what it sees as “Islamic” causes, such as pressuring India over Kashmir. But it has pragmatic reasons for cooperation with the Taliban as well: Kabul can be the key to influence over Iran, Pakistan, China and Russia. Turkey’s military presence in Afghanistan is to strengthen the new Kabul administration’s hand in the international arena, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week. Erdogan means he wants to help the Taliban, much as Turkey’s ally Qatar has helped them.
more............ https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/turkey-sees-afghanistan-as-lever-for-global-agenda-analysis-677405
Ankara is pursuing both its Islamic and pragmatic geopolitical agendas in Kabul. Despite its concerns, it sees the Taliban win as a boost for its global aspirations.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
AUGUST 22, 2021
Turkey is desperate to find a way to work with the Taliban and get control of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. It has several agendas. It wants to control Afghanistan as a key route to China and Iran and also to sit astride global jihadist moments from Idlib to Kabul so that it can use them for its own agenda to become an Islamic world leader.
Turkey’s ruling AKP party is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and it wants to work with Malaysia, Pakistan and other countries on what it sees as “Islamic” causes, such as pressuring India over Kashmir. But it has pragmatic reasons for cooperation with the Taliban as well: Kabul can be the key to influence over Iran, Pakistan, China and Russia. Turkey’s military presence in Afghanistan is to strengthen the new Kabul administration’s hand in the international arena, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week. Erdogan means he wants to help the Taliban, much as Turkey’s ally Qatar has helped them.
more............ https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/turkey-sees-afghanistan-as-lever-for-global-agenda-analysis-677405
