This past week, journalist Anup Kaphle posted a video he had filmed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan (via The Atlantic). In it he explains the very important role Nepali Gurkha soldiers are playing in the war effort. As you will see, this video is timely considering the core of Obama’s new strategy: using military power to buy time in order to “de-corrupt” the Karzai government and to further train the Afghan National Army. I won’t address whether the first part of that strategy is possible, but I would like to briefly address the second. One of the historic problems in training Afghan soldiers has been getting them to work as a unit. In the Afghan warrior culture, one of the ways in which a man makes a name for himself is through individual acts of valor on the battlefield. However, in modern warfare it is incredibly difficult to prevail unless acting as a diciplined team. As seen in the video, the Afghan soldiers seem to identify with the Gurkhas due to similarities in culture, if not religion. Gurkhas also speak and understand Urdu.
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The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of the East India Company. The brigade includes infantry, engineer, signal, logistic and training and support units. They are famous for their ever-present kukris, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade, and for their reputation of being fierce fighters and brave soldiers. They take their name from the hill town of Gorkha from which the Nepalese kingdom had expanded. The ranks have always been dominated by four ethnic groups, the Gurungs and Magars from central Nepal, the Rais and Limbus from the east, who live in hill villages of impoverished hill farmers. [Link]
Nepal is on the brink of all kinds of disaster due to political and economic instability. My Nepali sister-in-law often talks of Nepal as an already failed state with no future. Even though Nepal very clearly falls under India’s sphere-of-influence, I wonder if there might be a strategic opportunity here. Can the U.S. perhaps somehow better fold contributions from Nepal into it’s strategy. I ask because mention of Nepal is often left out of our public strategic discussions. I know the video above is just one small anecdote, but some more Gurkhas working with the British and American forces there sure wouldn’t hurt if our objective is to train Afghanistan’s army as quickly as possible so we can get out.
Also, even if you aren’t interested in this post, make sure to watch the video to see the Gurkha Soliders sing “Poker Face” by Lady GaGa.
This thinking in terms of “spheres of influence” is really wrong. So what if Nepal is poor at this point of their history. Nepal is still entitled to be free.
Huh? Nepal is already free. Not sure what you are talking about. However, I do know that a good many Nepali people sometimes wish that Inida would annex them so they could have a more competent government.
For sphere of influence, please see the second paragraph of this article.
I did not know that many Nepalis wish India would annex them. Please have your sister-in-law write in this blog.
The correct URL in # 3 is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere_of_influence. Sorry for the typo.
India isn’t that much better. Nepal has a proud, independent history. It was the only true Hindu nation in the world until not so long ago.
The Gurkhas derive their name from Guru Gorakshanath, the Hindu saint. The hill region mentioned in the article takes its name from him, not the other way around.
I second the suggestion to get a blogger from nepal. If you can’t find anyone, entice someone from HIMAL. Much more can be done to facilitate economic cooperation between both the countries. Hope the upcoming Indo-Bangla treaty really takes off, it could provide the template for other countries.
Good soldiers, bad rifle. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/oct/10/military.jamesmeek
I still don’t understand what your issue is? Do you not like that “Sphere of Influence” is a real thing? Thinking in these terms is reality it isn’t “wrong.” As long as there are powerful governments with less than powerful neighbors the powerful governments will (and in some cases should) use their influence. However, none of this is the point of the post. The post asks whether America should fold Nepal and Nepali expertise into its strategic thinking when considering how best to make progress in Afghanistan.
Maybe instead of Gurkhas, who the Afghans “like,” we should bring in some Mongols, who the Afghans “fear,” since the Mongols conquered and ruled Afghanistan for 500 years. Being nice isn’t working; time for “fear up.”
thanks Abni, It’s wierd that I feel nice about anything that mentions nepal. I was always wondering Abhi’s interest on Nepal/Nepali. Anyways, that sphere of influence thing is very much true. However, i don’t think “a good many” nepalese would want the country to be annexed by India. And also Chinese influence is growing bigger these days because of their Tibet inter3ests. As none of this is the point of the post, I don’t want to digress too much.
@Abhi
“I still don’t understand what your issue is? Do you not like that “Sphere of Influence” is a real thing? Thinking in these terms is reality it isn’t “wrong.” As long as there are powerful governments with less than powerful neighbors the powerful governments will (and in some cases should) use their influence. However, none of this is the point of the post. The post asks whether America should fold Nepal and Nepali expertise into its strategic thinking when considering how best to make progress in Afghanistan.”
Really? I assumed you are mingling with strange Nepalese (not to offend your beloved sis-in-law) because all Nepalese I know considered India as the biggest threat to them. Had China used the same “sphere of influence”, Indians will go berserk.Maybe the India-phillic sentiments shared by your sis-in-law is an anomaly.The point here, treat others as you want to be treated.Last time India wanted to spread its influence in Sri Lanka, you know how sour it turned up to be, don’t you? Please don’t defend India’s act of aggression (or sugar-coat them as merely as sphere of influence) toward its neighbors while crying foul when China does that. “One of the historic problems in training Afghan soldiers has been getting them to work as a unit. In the Afghan warrior culture, one of the ways in which a man makes a name for himself is through individual acts of valor on the battlefield. However, in modern warfare it is incredibly difficult to prevail unless acting as a diciplined team.”
Oh come on, Mr. Anthropologist!!! Pashtuns in Pakistan have no problems joining and serving their country, even given their “warrior culture”. So what make you assume Afghan Pasthuns are less capable of fighting in an army? It’s not about fighting in unity, it’s about who their enemies are.
But that does not change the fact you are still a hot and talented blogger, Mr.Tripathi.
@ Hideki on December 13, 2009 10:57 PM · Direct link
Maybe instead of Gurkhas, who the Afghans “like,” we should bring in some Mongols, who the Afghans “fear,” since the Mongols conquered and ruled Afghanistan for 500 years. Being nice isn’t working; time for “fear up.”
Mongols later converted to Islam en masse. I don’t think Afghans have anything to fear about them.I have read one Indian commentator suggesting sending Sikhs to Afghanistan instead because Sikhs were the only people who have tamed the Pasthuns. I assumed the warrior culture among the Sikhs was lost in 1984? Such simplified version of history strike more to me as the desire to treat Afghan Pasthuns as the eternal barbarians from the West who could only be tamed by “certain” races and people.
This post is quite poignant on how these brave Gurkha soldiers are actually reaching out to Afghanis – what Obama and all are actually claiming they want to do, and these Gurkha soldiers are actually doing it because of cultural affinity. However, this is all lost in comment noise, as usual.
101 in geopolitics: Concept of buffer state
Buffer states between two traditional rival neighbors are always in history a battle ground for “zone of influence” . They always are and always will be. Sometimes, they play it to their benefit
Reason why Afghanistan has always been a battle ground for centuries – first, a buffer state Russia and British India, then USA through Pakistan as a proxy and USSR, now Pakistan, India, Iran and USA.
Finland and Poland between Germany and then USSR.
Lebanon between Iran (through proxies), Syria and Israel.
Nepal lies between India and China, and therefore, a buffer states. Nepal’s political flux increases the mess. So was Tibet at one time.
In real terms, India has no more zone of influence in Nepal other than strong cultural and historical ties…..other than that India has no control over the course of history there (unless you drink the conspiracy kool-aid). China in economic terms hold more traction.
In northern Afghanistan, the US and their allies are requesting to involve Turkish forces* for same reasons.
Turks not only share strong cultural affinity, but same religion.
*Turkey has avoided sending combat troops so far
as a Nepali living in Nepal, I’ve always sensed a fear and apprehension towards India in everyone. We are not scared of India, we are scared of Biharisation, and Sikkimizatin of our country. And that does not have to be neccesarily through political annexation. I am pretty sure much of the apprehension would go away if India managed to pay as much attention to its northern states as it does to its southern ones. Having said that, I totally agree with the explanation of Nepal as a buffer state. Times have changed, but India and China are just as scared and distrustful of each other as when Xao En Lai said China would ‘would do anything, Including waging war against any country of the world(India, obviously) to protect Nepal’s sovereignty’ in the heights of the Cold War. My point is, each country fears the other a lot, and the easiest way to mess around with the other is through someone else’s territory. Both the countries understand that, and are, perhaps unncessarily, concerned about what goes around in Nepal. You don;t need CIA to tell that even in the very heights of civil war, when Nepal Army was being killed by the thousands every year, India was dont doing much to help, even while realising that Nepali maoists were then very close with Indian Naxalites. Perhaps India hoped, political victory for Maoists meant they would return favor to India by helping solve the Naxalite problem,or perhaps it wanted to counter the China-supported King’s regime, hoping to curtail Chinese presence in Nepal. China is connecting Tibet, and ultimately Nepal, to its National highways and Train Grid. Oil Pipelines from Lhasa are being built till Nepal border, and the Chinese govt is helping built national oil pipelines in Nepal.China understands that when you have economic influence, you automatically have political influence. Mr Singh’s India should have understood that, the congressi Bihar should have understood that, and the West Bengal govt very loyal to the central Congress party should have understood that, but unfortunately for them, they have not. When India should be encouraging freer trade, offering to reconsider past treaties(and, lets admit, those slightly unfair to Nepal), it is inflaming one group against the other, not checking on BSF and the local indian landlords who have encroached tens thousands of hectares of fertile Nepali land. India is not evil(full disclosure: I want to work in India, marry a nice Indian girl, and maybe settle down in a big Indian city with a good job, as an indian citizen), but it’s not being too helpful either….
Sepia Mutiny has an article about the forgotten South Asian country of Afghanistan.
Afghans have figured prominently in Indian history and Qandahar is mentioned in the Hindu epics, yet some Desis forget that not all South Asians are Desi.
Is it because it would provide more economic opportunities to Nepalis. This line of entitlement baffles me – one gets to hear it from Pakistani publications like Dawn as if India has a gun to its head to share its recent prosperity with neighbours. Or Maybe I am wrong, and what you really meant was – the threat from Bihari, Sikkimese migrants to your cultural distinctiveness. I hope you are aware of the scale of the influx by Nepalis to work in India. They are not even Indian citizens and yet they get job opportunities that many marginalized Indian groups don’t. Also North-easterners are subject to a great deal of stereotyping because most Nepalis are content working as guards, drivers and at food stalls. You have become the great Indian Underclass and it gets quite personal for us, as we are often confused with you, and are treated as the Underclass in turn. I don’t blame the brown Indians for drawing associations about “our type”. So please do rethink your pejorative tone regarding Biharis, who have far many achievers amongst them.
@ Kush,
Turkey is considered an “enlightened Muslim” country and the people of nothern Afghanistan (the Uzbeks) are ethnic kin to the Turks.
However, Afghans have an apprehension of Pakistan, if the US was to suggest Pakistani combat troops on Afghan soil, people would go up in a uproar. Much of the tension that exist between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the issue of the Durand Line, an artificial border that divides the dominate and main ethnic group in Afghanistan, the Pushtuns.
When Bush suggested that Turkish troops be placed in Iraq, Arabs and Kurds equally objected since the thought of Turkish troops on Arab soils reminds people of Ottoman imperialism.
Afghan affinity to the “mountain people” of South Asia is not uncommon.
Many Afghans have close affinity to the Kashmiris be they Pakistani or Indian.
Religion or being Muslim does not mean that Afghans are inhospitable to non-Muslims, the pushtunwali dictates decorum to all foreign visitors to Afghanistan. You’re welcomed in Afghanistan, provided you don’t overstay your welcome.
The Hezara are Afghan descendants of the Mongols. “Hezar” means a “thousand” and refers to oral traditions which talk about the people of Bamyan province being descendants of 1,000 Mongol troops who stayed behind in Afghanistan while Genghis Khan and his armies marched West to Iran, Iraq, and Syria/Palestine.
The Sikhs held back the Pushtun raids of the Punjab.
“The eternal barbarians of the West” is hilarious man.
If we are such barbarians, why do my female cousins get hit on by “brown” Desi Hindus?!
@Abhi,
There is no distinction between Afghan and Pakistani Pushtuns, we are one people divided by the legacy of British colonialism.
I served the US Navy, I was sent on deployment in the Middle East. I had no problem being in the US military even though I disagreed with Bush and his elective war in Iraq.
In my family, the martial arts like archery and Hellenistic wrestling and bodybuilding are deemed worthy “manly” pursuits. Joining the military, in the country where you reside is also deemed “honorable.”
The British did many studies on the peoples of India, and in one colonial pamphlet they ranked the “manliness” of the “Indic races” and guess you topped the list for most “manly” – the Afghans with Bengalis being considered among the most “effeminate.”
@ raj,
Stating that Nepal was the only true Hindu nation is like me stating Saudi Arabia is the only true Muslim nation.
It is always dangerous to assume and dictate what is “proper practice” in any faith-based tradition.
But then again, these are the same people who created the White Aryan racial myth!
Gustavo, a sense of superiority amongst some Afghans vis-a-vis Pakistanis/Indians is not uncommon. Even a clearly educated man like you wears British “studies” on manliness, whatever that is, on your sleeve. This is similar to many Pashtuns I have known who take great pride in their culture (not a wrong thing) but can’t seperate the racial exclusivism from it. Outside of your glorious martial history I find this pride hard to contextualize, since Afghanistan is a very backward country with a rather bleak future. Maybe a bit of Bengali “feminity” and intellectual tradition imbibed into your culture would do great to mitigate the centuries old “eye for an eye” mentality. The time for warrior clannism is gone and done. I am not belittling your culture, and you must not change who you are to be palatable to foreign tastes. But its the Afghan people themselves, and especially the Pashtuns, who need to do some introspection.
Why are you applying such a double-standard? You are treating Pashtuns like retards. . . . would you say the same i.e., he is “clearly educated” if a Chinese made such comments?
Kola,
You bring up an excellent point.
Some Afghans look down on Pakistanis and Indians because most are darker skinned than many Afghans.
Afghanistan is behind in many ways. Pakistan though has failed to modernized the tribal regions though. Pakistan has failed to educate its people, public funding of education is not a top priority in that country when most elite Pakistanis send their children to private schools or overseas to obtain an education.
India spends more on education than Pakistan.
Pushtuns in Pakistan therefore deny their women an education in favor of the sons, but the boys only memorize the Qur’an in a language they do not speak or understand, with little to no commentary in the vernacular about the meaning of the verses.
I am lucky, my grandfather left Afghanistan in the 1950s, my mother was born here in the United States, so I am third generation Afghan American. My family being from Kabul were Westernized when they left Afghanistan while it was still a monarchy.
Though we are Pushtun, we don’t speak Pashto, we speak Dari (eastern Persian dialect) and growing up, my mom said we were “Persian.”
Literary levels in Afghanistan are appalling. Afghanistan lacks trained medical personnel. The number of widows in the country due to more than three decades of strife is having a tremendous impact in a nation that is extremely youthful.
Afghans do look with pride at their martial heritage and history. However, we have to adopt to a changing environment.
@ Hideki,
Desis make patronizing comments about Afghans and Pushtuns all the time. I shrug it off.
OK–good man.
Hideki,
I understand what Kola is trying to say. There is much potential among the Afghan people. However, Afghanistan does have an intellectual heritage, but one that has been recently dormant.
In Afghan academic circles, there has been an issue over language, in regards to if Pashto or Dari should be used as a language of instruction. Prior to the Taliban, Dari/Farsi was the lingua franca of the upper class.
Issues like the use of language will be a decisive issue for a fragile nation like Afghanistan.
You are right that sphere of influence is a side-theme in your article, not the main theme. So I won’t go on about them. But do get your sister-in-law to write in this blog. Runil, thanks for # 15.
The British did many studies on the peoples of India, and in one colonial pamphlet they ranked the manliness of the Indic races and guess you topped the list for most manly – the Afghans with Bengalis being considered among the most effeminate. I am lucky, my grandfather left Afghanistan in the 1950s, my mother was born here in the United States,
Gustavo, for a guy from a “warrior patriarchal society” you seem to derive your identity from the “effeminate branch” and only your name from the “manly branch”.
Amaun,
How did you know I was gay?! Hahahaha.
In response to post 21:
I wasn’t ascribing that title or status to Nepal, as if I’m some sort of judge of the Hinduness of various nations. Also, your comparison doesn’t work. There are many nations around the world that claim to be Islamic states. There has only been one state that has viewed itself as Hindu. But, this is probably completely off-topic and will only serve to derail the discussion if we pursue it.
And, no, I’m not one of the people who created the “white aryan racial myth.” I’m too young, for one. I don’t see why ‘my people’ should be blamed for the Germans deciding that the Nordic race was the progenitor of ancient Iranian and Indian cultures.
The whole “Martial Races” concept was completely unscientific (even by Victorian standards). It was a political construct, adopted to facilitate the reorganization of the Indian Army after the 1857 revolt. The new system was based on an army of strangers instead of an army of neighbors, the theory being that an army with few ties to the communities it guarded would have no conflicted loyalties and fewer reservations about using force against them if called upon. Not surprisingly, the “martial” races all came from the periphery (Punjab, Northwest Frontier, Nepal and the Himalayas, etc.) while the “effeminate” races came from the center, even though the latter (Hindustanis, Bengalis, Tamils, Telugus, etc.) had formed the backbone of the old Company army and had their own highly developed warrior cultures…
Not to mention they were frequently the founts of culture and education. Easy to undermine the culture if you set the entire system against it, and more importantly, set the participants of that culture against themselves.
Rinul,
brothe, what is this talk about fearing india and Biharisation of Nepal ??? In case if you havent noticed the same thing has been happening to all the hill tribes of nepal who are of ethnic Tibetan origin .. ask the tamangs , magars , gurung and sherpas if they feel that the forced nepalisation of their culture and language is any different to what you fear the Biharis might do… if anyting recent political situation has forced the kathmandu politicians that not Nepalis are are bahuns or chettris … we the hill tribes exist too .:)
I am sorry for not explaining ‘Biharisation’, and it has obviously created confusion. By Biharisation, I mean Nepal does not want to become Bihar. I do understand that Bihar is quite developed: Patna is better than Kathmandu, hands down(and please, I am not going to argue upon my definition of ‘better)… However, we in Nepal usually see Lalu’s Bihar: mired by corruption, violence, and even by Nepali standards, extreme poverty… I know Shekhar Suman(he’s a genius) is from Bihar, and so are some other popular tv stars i dont know names of… BUt the overall condition of Bihar scares the Nepalis… And please, I am stating what the people here feel , and not my social theories(one of which is posted as a reply to my comment, that i consider to be an unfunny and meaningless rant that is unworthy of reply) BTW, greeat job guys…You people(the sepiamutiny people) should have writers from other countries(sp. South ASian, I wud say) too… It could be a regional sort of thing… and no, I am not commenting here because I sooo wanna get into Lehigh, and found you also have a Lehigh prof. amongst yourself…lol.. though I do want to get into Lehigh soo bad…
Not to mention they were frequently the founts of culture and education. Easy to undermine the culture if you set the entire system against it, and more importantly, set the participants of that culture against themselves.
But mainly this was done because it’s what the Romans did.
I don’t understand what some people think about a country and their opinions pulls in fiery comments. I have families living both in India and Nepal and let me tell you one thing – No one in Nepal wants to be annexed by India or China or anybody. They have been independent for centuries and will remain so. On the other hand, there is too much being read in “sphere of influence”. Geographical interests of India and Nepal remain to be quite the same. India and Nepal also share a strong cultural and religious bonding as very few nations share. India would not want Chinese influence in Nepalese politics neither would America’s unwarranted poking. India and Britain have long been in such a tacit agreement. All sphere of influence means that India has interest in what happens in Nepal and also to counter if Chinese either directly or through ISI actively get involved there, thats it. Nepal has never had problems with being close to India for centuries and I don’t see why they would like to change it now? Mexico is fiercely an Independent country and so is Canada but whats wrong in saying they are under sphere of influence of US?
not sure about gurkhas being the
hindus.they prefer pork and beef which the followers of hindus tend to avoid.during the india-pakistan partition; they shot both set of trouble makers-hindus and muslims.Nope! Gurkhas are Hindus. look it up. And yeah they ‘tend to avoid’ beef.
I am from nepal and i challenge “abhi t” hat india or any other country just try annex nepal and you will open worst ever dooms day scenario in your entire history . We know how to fight and kill , we dont fear of dieing so be patient , you will open up the destruction of your country by annexing nepal because by that time nepali people will have nothing to loose and dont you fear being ransacked all your developments you have acheived till now from 1947 onward ? really ? i am amazed this abhi is saying silly thing like that . nepal is land of warriors not the merchants be aware and keep out of it .
in nepal there are many tribes which prefer pork but not beef . Our country is blessed one by guru gorakhnath . we are the only one who never saw muslim and christian rule . we have proud histry that india lacks and one person is saying probably from india that gorkhas are hindu or not . just laugh …. can you tell me which clan, tribe or cast has not appeased muslim and christians for sake of safety of themselves in india except great maharaja shivaji from marathas and maharaja ranjit singh . actually i am ashamed to say that hindus in india has been reduced to cowards ,they even cannot stand up and fight for hindu rashtra and for the sake of dharma . Just compare our army with yours . this is hindu army and your s is secular , we were founded by maharaja dhiraj prithvi narayan shah and you??? our national animal is cow and jungi nishan is trishul , what abt you man ?????in india marathas , jats and few clans of rajputs and sikhs are only standing people others are just “kala dhabbas” on hindu pride . At last firing on muslim and hindus is concerned that was duty of a soldier i mean sainik dharma , to be obiedent and obey the orders , gorkhas alway obey the orders when they are in armed forces and there is no recored os gorkhas being disobiedent while being in armed forces and thats why they are gorkha .
Gurkhas, being mercenaries, have been fighting all over the world for 200 years. The Indian Army has over 100,000 gurkhas in regiments having its roots in the British East India Company. They are one of the finest soldiers. Sam “Bahadur” Manekshaw, one of the two Field Marshals India ever had, was a product of the 8th Gorkha Rifles. If you come across a gurkha, say “kusto chha” for me.
we dont need certificate from sulabh to be called as hindu .