How has the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan affected Afghan immigration into Iran? Professor Dr. Mazzucelli International Relations in the Post Cold War Era By: Zoila V. Acevedo

“The core concern of liberalism is the happiness and contentment of individual human beings. ” I will use the liberalist lens to analyze conditions in Afghanistan leading to the large migration of their population into neighboring countries, specifically Iran. Analyze the current living conditions for Afghan immigrants in Iran since the time the Soviet troops withdrew in The Afghan immigrants treatment in Iran Economic advantages of working in Iran Standard of living “Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, almost five million Afghans have fled their country to Iran and Pakistan in hopes of a better life.” Liberalist lens

Afghan people living in Iran

Historical Timeline of Afghanistan 1953 General Mohammed Daud becomes Prime Minister in Afghanistan Mohammed Daud is overthrown by a coup during a period known as the Saur Revolution where the PDPA comes to power. People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, a communist party 1979 –Soviet Union invades Afghanistan Start of Afghan Civil War between the PDPA and resistance groups come to be known as Mujahedeen 1980—Babrak Karmal was installed as ruler of the PDPA and is backed by the Soviet Union Anti-regime resistance intensify and are supported by the United States, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and China 1986—Najibullah replaces Karmal in the Soviet backed regime

1988 Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan sign peace accords 1989 Soviet Union agrees to pull out of Afghanistan and their final troops leave Afghanistan’s civil war continues after the Soviet Union’s withdrawal leaving the country in continued harsh conditions 1992 Najibullah’s government is toppled, but the civil war continues 1996 Taliban seize control of Kabul and they install a strict Islamist regime Historical background continued…

Afghan immigrants into Iran “The 10-year civil war in Afghanistan caused a drain on the country’s economy and led many Afghans to flee to neighboring countries.” Dangerous conditions: “It is estimated that there are about 10 million mines in Afghanistan. The vast bulk (96%) of these have been laid in agricultural and grazing land.” More than 53% of the population live below the poverty line. As a result many Afghans have been forced to leave their homes. Afghan migrants have now been considered the largest displaced group in the world

A majority of the Afghan immigrants reside in Iran Iran is the second largest oil producing country Holds a model of stability Nearly 3 million refugees reside in Afghanistan, while nearly 2/3 are illegal immigrants October Listen up for the wages, ages, literacy, mention of help to stop terrorism A decrease in jobs for young people has increased, putting pressure on the Iranian government to get the immigrants out

Discrimination against the Afghans in Iran Even Afghans who were born in Iran are unable to gain citizenship Ban for selling food has been put into effect The Iranian government has started the process of forced expulsion of the Afghans. Afghans are only allowed to live in three provinces, they are not welcome in the remaining twenty eight provinces.

Structure of my paper The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan left the country in shambles and a war zone, inevitably causing millions of Afghans to leave their country. In order to target my topic question I will analyze the conditions of Afghanistan after the retreat of the Soviet soldiers following with the amount of migrants out of Afghanistan into Iran. Through a liberalist lens I hope to target the standard of living the Afghans are facing in their new lives in Iran, including their job opportunities, housing, and incomes. Acquiring specific data on the numbers of immigrants in Iran, including illegal and undocumented. Following their current living conditions in Iran I will analyze Iran’s view on the Afghan immigrants in their country and the policies they plan to implement in the near future. As well as the feelings the Iranians have toward their neighbors currently residing in their country. It has been difficult to find immigrant information on Afghanistan on Dev Info 7, but UNHCR—the UN refugee agency has provided the statistics of the refugees, although many migrants are still not accounted for. Ultimately I hope to examine if the conditions for the Afghan immigrants in Iran are expected to improve or worsen with the new laws Iran is enforcing. The fate of the Afghan immigrants in Iran is being determine, while there home country still remains an unsafe place.

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