Clash of Identities :  Ontological (In)Securities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Repercussions

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Policy Perspectives

Volume 19, Issue 2

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Clash of Identities : Ontological (In)Securities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Repercussions

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Author(s): Farhat Taj ¹

Publication date (Electronic, pub): 16 November 2022

Journal: Policy Perspectives

Keywords: Ontological Security, State Identity, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pashtuns, Pashtun Identity

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Abstract

The notion of security denotes freedom from threats. Ontological security implies emancipation from threats to core values that identify a person or a state. This article demonstrates the Pak-Afghan relationship as a case in point. It offers a relatively new perspective for understanding the continued contentious relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It argues that the Pashtun state identity of Afghanistan mismatches with the Islamic identity of Pakistan. This causes cognitive anxiety over self-identity in both states, which confronts their respective ontological (in)security challenges. Consequently, both countries engage in dangerous routines of self-identity affirmation to manage their ontological (in)securities. The routines often have harmful consequences for the civilian population, especially in the Pashtun areas of Pakistan.

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Author and article information

Journal

Title: Policy Perspectives

ISSN: 1812-7347

Publication date (Electronic, pub): 16 November 2022

Volume: 19

Issue: 2

Pages: 1-20

Affiliations

[1 ] The University of Tromsø – UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway;

Article

DOI: 10.13169/polipers.19.2.ra1

SO-VID: 380f9203-6fc4-4803-a13a-b41f5bb31198

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Published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International ( CC BY 4.0). Users are allowed to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially), as long as the authors and the publisher are explicitly identified and properly acknowledged as the original source.

History

References

Eberle Jakub, Handl Vladimír. Ontological Security, Civilian Power, and German Foreign Policy Toward Russia1. Foreign Policy Analysis. Vol. 16(1):41–58. 2020. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]
Mitzen Jennifer. Ontological Security in World Politics: State Identity and the Security Dilemma. European Journal of International Relations. Vol. 12(3):341–370. 2006. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Chernobrov Dmitry. Ontological Security and Public (Mis)Recognition of International Crises: Uncertainty, Political Imagining, and the Self. Political Psychology. Vol. 37(5):581–596. 2016. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Bayly Martin J.. Imperial ontological (in)security: ‘Buffer states’, International Relations and the case of Anglo-Afghan relations, 1808–1878. European Journal of International Relations. Vol. 21(4):816–840. 2015. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Ahady Anwar-ul-Haq. The Decline of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Asian Survey. Vol. 35(7):621–634. 1995. University of California Press. [Cross Ref]
Zarakol Ayşe. Ontological (In)security and State Denial of Historical Crimes: Turkey and Japan. International Relations. Vol. 24(1):3–23. 2010. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Taj Farhat. Stable Regime, Historiography and Truth Commissions. Review of Human Rights. Vol. 7(1):67–88. 2020. Review of Human Rights (RHR). [Cross Ref]
Mitzen Jennifer. Anchoring Europe's civilizing identity: habits, capabilities and ontological security1. Journal of European Public Policy. Vol. 13(2):270–285. 2006. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Christine Fair C., Nawaz Shuja. The Changing Pakistan Army Officer Corps. Journal of Strategic Studies. Vol. 34(1):63–94. 2011. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Mirza Muhammad Nasrullah, Mushtaq Naveed. Utilizing Militia Forces in Modern Warfare: Role and Challenges. Policy Perspectives. Vol. 18(1)2021. Pluto Journals. [Cross Ref]

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Comment on this article

[1] Eberle Jakub, Handl Vladimír. Ontological Security, Civilian Power, and German Foreign Policy Toward Russia1. Foreign Policy Analysis. Vol. 16(1):41–58. 2020. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]

[2] Mitzen Jennifer. Ontological Security in World Politics: State Identity and the Security Dilemma. European Journal of International Relations. Vol. 12(3):341–370. 2006. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[3] Chernobrov Dmitry. Ontological Security and Public (Mis)Recognition of International Crises: Uncertainty, Political Imagining, and the Self. Political Psychology. Vol. 37(5):581–596. 2016. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[4] Bayly Martin J.. Imperial ontological (in)security: ‘Buffer states’, International Relations and the case of Anglo-Afghan relations, 1808–1878. European Journal of International Relations. Vol. 21(4):816–840. 2015. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[5] Ahady Anwar-ul-Haq. The Decline of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Asian Survey. Vol. 35(7):621–634. 1995. University of California Press. [Cross Ref]

[6] Zarakol Ayşe. Ontological (In)security and State Denial of Historical Crimes: Turkey and Japan. International Relations. Vol. 24(1):3–23. 2010. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[7] Taj Farhat. Stable Regime, Historiography and Truth Commissions. Review of Human Rights. Vol. 7(1):67–88. 2020. Review of Human Rights (RHR). [Cross Ref]

[8] Mitzen Jennifer. Anchoring Europe's civilizing identity: habits, capabilities and ontological security1. Journal of European Public Policy. Vol. 13(2):270–285. 2006. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[9] Christine Fair C., Nawaz Shuja. The Changing Pakistan Army Officer Corps. Journal of Strategic Studies. Vol. 34(1):63–94. 2011. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[10] Mirza Muhammad Nasrullah, Mushtaq Naveed. Utilizing Militia Forces in Modern Warfare: Role and Challenges. Policy Perspectives. Vol. 18(1)2021. Pluto Journals. [Cross Ref]