When Rashid S. Naim spoke in front of 300 faculty and students about Afghanistan on Monday, he did not speak with the detachment of a journalist or a politician—he spoke from years of observation, experience, knowledge, and more importantly as person who cared deeply about Afghanistan.
To Naim Afghanistan is not a new topic but one that he has been following closely since he was a young boy playing in the streets of New Delhi, India. The stories of Afghanistan then, Naim recalls, were not of bloodshed but of lore, bravery, and a colorful history.
Naim’s journey from India to America was an unexpected one, but his interest in politics was not. “I grew up in family that has been politically active for many generations,” he said. That interest would not have meant much according to Naim if it were not for those endless hours that he spent reading the newspapers to his blind grandfather. “He was very much into politics but he lost his sight [and so] it was almost a chore for me to read the news for him,” he said.
Remembering, Naim laughingly admits that what was a chore in his youth soon became a passion “and I was hooked,” he added.
He has a Ph.D in Political Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and two master’s, one in International Studies from India and one in International Relations from Australia. Not only did his quest for political science take him everywhere, he has taken the science into many uncharted territories. His research on politics in the Middle East and the Islamic world, his publications on such issues as political unrest in the Muslim world, and his writings on nuclear proliferation in South Asia has made him a prominent figure in his field. Although he is now a professor at the University of Georgia, his influence and involvement has extended as far Oxford, UK and as near as Union College.
However, since September 11, Naim feels that his mission is to help people understand the complexities of the Afghan society and its conflicts. “Afghanistan is in the crossroads of Asia,” linking the East and the West, and Southern to Central areas of Asia, he said. This strategic location has made it an irresistible piece of land to all of the imperial powers in the region. Moreover, “It has a diverse culture and rich heritage,” said Naim. The Uzbek, Pashtun, Hazara, and Tajik cultures each have their own language, cultural customs, geographical and strategic locations, and nothing in common other than believing in some form of Islam. This diversity, while a source of pride and some unity, has often been at the heart of many of Afghanistan’s internal conflicts.
“I am a little pessimistic about the future of Afghanistan” said Naim. However, he concedes that there might be hope if the international community and the Afghans learn from their past mistakes.
