Many people have heard the term “superpower” frequently during political discussions or scientific conferences. In the late 20th century, the Soviet Union was one of the world’s major powers, having brought numerous countries under their control by force. This country’s grand strategy and policy were centered on subjugation, and for this purpose, they also intended to occupy Afghanistan. He had prepared this plan to be implemented with the help of their Afghan puppets so that the mouth of the “Red Dragon” would be opened to devour the Mumin Afghan people.
In time, the believing and awakened people stood empty-handed against this great power. With the strength of their faith, they defeated the Soviet Red Army and their puppets. This led to the disintegration of the once-mighty Soviet Union into pieces, which, along with Russia, became fifteen other independent republics. It is an accepted historical fact, recorded in the golden pages of the glorious achievements of the Afghans; just as the fall of the Soviet Empire after the collapse of the British Empire was also written in the name of the Afghan people.
From a bipolar world to a unipolar world: When the world was bipolar, the Soviet Union was on one side, and the United States was on the other. The long Cold War, which lasted for several decades, ended with the defeat of the Soviet Union, casting the world under the shadow of a single polar. The United States has taken the lead in this new polar.
America began their efforts to establish global order long ago, aiming to manage the entire world under the shadow of “liberal democracy” as if it were a single village. To achieve this goal, they made extensive use of force, war, and pressure. In a bipolar world, it was given a good opportunity to claim the seat of world leadership for itself and place the crown of pharaohdom on its head.
The War of Hegemonic Arrogance: America, which considered itself the world’s unrivaled hegemonic power, invaded Iraq and Afghanistan with full arrogance. In Afghanistan, they forcibly dismantled the Islamic Emirate system and left the Taliban with only two choices: death or prison.
In time, this holy army stood against all of NATO on the battlefield with empty hands. Leader of them gave the world a clear message that “you will come from the top of the list to the bottom,” meaning that with the help of Allah Almighty, you will face defeat in Afghanistan. This statement was considered laughable by many at the time, but no one forgot that a few years earlier, another great power, the Soviet Union, had also been defeated against the Afghan people.
Some believing mujahideen always kept this promise of Allah Almighty in their hearts: “And say, ‘وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا.'” Translation: “Say, ‘Truth has come, falsehood has perished, and falsehood is ever perishing.'”
The Afghan believing and mujahid people bravely stood against the world’s largest military and economic power. Most analysts around the world called this war an “uneven war” because one side had global forces, advanced technology, B-52s and fighter jets, and an invasion of thousands of soldiers, while the other side had only the Afghan people, armed with faith, who were believers and mujahideen.
The youth of this nation followed in the footsteps of their ancestors’ glories. From the mountains, they launched attacks on the occupiers, using small resources, weapons, and ambushes instead of long-range missiles.
The Difference Between a Superpower and a Hegemonic Power: The important question here is, was the power that was defeated in Afghanistan just a superpower, or a higher hegemonic power?
The term “hegemony” is borrowed from international relations theories and refers to the dominance of one country over others in political, military, economic, and ideological spheres. A hegemonic power can only be one country, but a “superpower” can be several countries simultaneously.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States became the world’s sole hegemonic power and led the world in all the aforementioned areas. America’s defeat in the war in Afghanistan, coupled with the resurgence of Russia and China, posed a serious threat to the country’s hegemony.
The hegemonic power that fought alongside 48 countries in Afghanistan was defeated by the Afghan people of faith. This victory was not just against one force, but against the entire political and military hegemony of the world, and it will remain in the golden lines of history under the name of the Afghan people.
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