Visiting Afghanistan: ethical questions?

[The_Horse]

Hi, I want to ride my motorbike from Dushanbe to Islamabad. Is the Shir Khan Bandar – Panji Poyon border open?

My plan is Dushanbe - Kunduz - Kabul - Jalalabad - into Pakistan. Anyone have any experience?

[Nikopol]

You are aware what happened in Afghanistan last summer, right?

To make it short, no one is entering Afghanistan, if you are not accredited journalist or government-employed officials, for next years.

[Katharine_1993]

no

[Edmund]

You are aware what happened in Afghanistan last summer, right?

To make it short, no one is entering Afghanistan, if you are not accredited journalist or government-employed officials, for next years.

As far as I know, nobody so far really knows what the attitude of the new Afghan government towards giving visas to foreigners is... So I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the possibility. The security situation even seems to be better than before the takeover.
Someone will eventually have to be the first one to try it, and I really do wish good luck to that person.

[Christian77]

Even if it is assumed that the Taliban have changed their ways now that they are in power, it still needs to be taken into consideration that they have up to 6 European and American hostages they are holding (with various demands, the main one being to release a Taliban-affiliated drug lord held in US federal prison, plus about $8 billion in national bank funds). They may want to take more hostages in the future for other demands.

Another consideration is Daesh. They are still active in Afghanistan. They may not hold territory, but there are areas that they are more likely to be found (i.e., in and near Jalalabad, as well as in Kabul). ISKP/Daesh will definitely cut your head off on video. And if you're a woman then you will wish for death every day you are owned by them.

Border controls/visas are another factor. Even if visas start to flow again and you get in, I don't see why the Pakistanis would necessarily let you exit to their country, even with a visa. Sometimes the border points to Pakistan are closed, sometimes they are restricted to Afghans and Pakistanis. This has varied over the years.

Also... crime is down now that death penalties are handed out same day Judge Dredd style (whether guilty or you just look like the suspect), but desperation is at an all time high and crime will still be very high compared to what you see in Central Asia.

Finally, some of the westerners killed or taken hostage knew the risk and the likely outcome, but others thought they would be given special consideration because of their (recent) conversion to Islam or their loudly expressed anti-imperialist/anti-American views. This does not help. It just makes you look more like a spy, because of course they would say that.

Finally finally, if you go you will be around ethnic cleansing, rape, targeted assassination of women's rights activists, mass theft, cruelty, etc... All of this happens. I hope the suffering brown people don't spoil your enjoyment or wreck your mood. But we all know that at the bottom of the tourism barrel is inhabited by selfish sociopaths. So do what you are designed to do. Post a selfie of the Afghan family feeding you a dinner that they can't afford to give. I hope you realize that deep down you are a horrible person and the reason you travel alone so often is that nobody wants to be around you.

Source: I worked on and in Afghanistan for years, mostly security and political analysis.

[yamamotoo]

My sources on the ground are saying that I can visit Afghanistan, even places that were off-limits for more than a decade. Visas are issued in some embassies is well - for example, now it became much more easier to get one in my hometown, which was nearly impossible since 2019 or so. However, I’m not sure with the land borders — I know personally a guy who crossed from and to Uzbekistan in autumn, but I’m not sure that this is still possible. I suggest you to look for Iran instead.

[Edmund]

Christian: I do mostly agree with what you say, but I think that it's not as black and white as you describe. Nobody is saying that there aren't risks with going to Afghanistan, there are BIG risks and everyone going there should do their own research on them. That said, while the threats which you listed are serious, I don't see them as necessarily fatal to any journey in Afghanistan. Sure, the risk of being taken hostage is present, but taking hostages really isn't the current main objective of the Taliban, which is currently trying to get more international recognition. Yeah, if one does not mind their step, it is very easy to end up in jail or someplace worse (just as it is easy to end up in jail in Iran).
As for Daesh, yes, they do operate in Afghanistan, just like in several other countries too. Nevertheless, many specific measures can be taken to minimize the risk of ever getting close to them. In a situation like this, what's most deadly is carelessness and ignorance.

I am not sure if you are replying to someone specific in your last paragraph.. Assuming that you just have in mind an image of a western rich tourist going to Afghanistan to take selfies, yes, that sounds pretty despicable. However I do think that it is possible to visit while being respectful to the country and the people. Simply being in a country where crimes such as the ones you listed happen (all of which were happening also before the regime change, with the difference that even more people were dying) does not mean one has to be numb to the suffering of the people.

[bwv812]

Is it possible to visit with respect, humility, and care? Possibly. But the folks Christian77 describes are probably more typical, and I have little faith in the intentions of someone who wants to ride a motorbike from Dushanbe to Islamabad and the only question they have is whether the borders are open.

[peaceful_world]

Finally finally, if you go you will be around ethnic cleansing, rape, targeted assassination of women's rights activists, mass theft, cruelty, etc... All of this happens. I hope the suffering brown people don't spoil your enjoyment or wreck your mood. But we all know that at the bottom of the tourism barrel is inhabited by selfish sociopaths. So do what you are designed to do. Post a selfie of the Afghan family feeding you a dinner that they can't afford to give. I hope you realize that deep down you are a horrible person and the reason you travel alone so often is that nobody wants to be around you.

I'd like to understand more about the point you are making.

Years ago, while I was trekking in Nepal, some children invited me to visit their village. After a fun day of getting to know everyone (mostly the English-speaking children), they invited me to stay for dinner. We ventured to a butcher shop and I bought plenty of raw chicken and snacks to feed the whole community; the moms cooked up a delicious meal on that little wood-burning camp stove on the floor. I don't use emotionally stunting social media so there weren't any selfies being posted.

I spent an uncomfortable but rewarding night as their guest, in a cramped hut with all four members of one family, lying on a rock hard piece of wood. A guy from the Peace Corps stopped by the next day and mentioned to me that these low caste families can only afford to eat meat a couple times a year. The fathers work as laborers in the middle east and send home less than a dollar a day, which pays for the kids to go to school and learn English--generational upcycling to better lives. I left all of my spare cash with them in parting, a windfall representing several months of their family income.

Am I to understand that this makes me an exploitive sociopath? How should I do better? Is it inherently evil for me to want to see the world and meet its people, helping out where I can?

People are starving to death in Afghanistan. People are selling children to earn money so that they can feed other children. Leaving some choice political observations aside, the west has summarily forsaken the people of Afghanistan, leaving them to starve. How would the resumption of tourism harm the Afghan people? It seems to me like it would bring money into the economy and help to feed the people, and perhaps give the Taliban some financial incentive toward moderation and civic stabilization.

P.S. I'm seeing from some of your other posts that you provide great, helpful info about traveling in other parts of Central Asia. I gather that I may not be experiencing your post in context. I'd like to understand, genuinely, what triggers a sense that tourism is exploitive vs. meaningful and positive.

[bwv812]

Am I to understand that this makes me an exploitive sociopath? How should I do better? Is it inherently evil for me to want to see the world and meet its people, helping out where I can?

Is this a serious question?

Do you honestly think that every tourist who accepts an invitation from a local person goes around buying all the supplies and food required for their meal?

The obvious reality for those familiar with the region is that local traditions of hospitality often include the extension of invitations that the locals cannot afford. Accepting these invitations often places a considerable burden on the local families, who will feel compelled to provide generously regardless of their ability. Tourist are often oblivious to hardships they are imposing, and even if it does occur to them to provide compensation (and for many it will not occur to them at all) they lack the ability to do so in a suitably discreet or non-insulting way.

You only need to look at all the posts from people who want to hitch-hike for for free (despite it clearly being local practice for people to pay fr their rides when they hitch-hike) to see how this mentality pervades many tourists or "travelers."