IRAN AND FORMER-SOVIET STATES VIE FOR INFLUENCE IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001190 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR SHIVERS CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A. CG CJTF-76 POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM AF IR SUBJECT: IRAN AND FORMER-SOVIET STATES VIE FOR INFLUENCE IN AFGHAN MEDIA Classified By: Charge Richard Norland for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Several sources within the GOA and media community have pointed out increasing efforts by Iran, Russia and former-Soviet Central Asian states to gain influence in the Afghan media. Minister of Information Abdul Karim Khoram has described Afghan culture as "under assault" from Iran and, to a lesser extent, Pakistan. Other media sources point to attempts by journalists from former-Soviet states to educate and "warn Afghan journalists against U.S. influence," pointing out that study tours to Iran and former-Soviet states are often done together, suggesting that perhaps Iran and Russia are working together to thwart Western influence in the Afghan media. End summary. -------------- THE IRANIANS "ARE EVERYWHERE" -------------- ¶2. (C) In meetings with the DCM and PAO on February 4 and April 5, Minister of Information and Culture Khoram said that Afghan culture was under assault from Iran and to a lesser degree from Pakistan. Of all Afghanistan's neighbors, these are the two that pose the greatest challenges. According to Khoram, Pakistan sees itself as grappling with the Moghul legacy and uses the Taliban as a lever to maintain Islamic influence in the region against India. "Iran," said Khoram, "is the real problem" -- he described Iran as embarked on a mission of cultural domination over Afghanistan. The Iranians are taking advantage of the fact that Afghans' own conception of their culture has been fragmented by decades of war, leaving them susceptible to the latest impulse (whether it is Bollywood or Iranian films). "The Iranians are everywhere," in terms of purveying children's books, films and other cultural media, Khoram said. The message in these media is that Afghanistan is part of Iran. Even vocabulary that is used conveys this message in subtle form. ¶3. (C) Minister Khoram has alleged that Tolo TV - a popular private television station that holds an almost 90% market share - is being used by Iran to deliver its message of cultural domination and may even be party to crafting it. Responding to allegations of GOA censorship, Khoram claimed that he has tried to engage Tolo executives on the issue of Iranian cultural domination but has never tried to censor Tolo or impose a particular political message. For its part, Tolo maintains that the GOA has both tried both to censor the material it airs and to provide pro-government material and intimidate the network to show it (septel). -------------- ...AND COOPERATING WITH RUSSIA? -------------- ¶4. (C) Other media contacts confirm that Iran is actively engaged in the Afghan media, frequently sending journalists invitations for travel, dinners, and distributing free books translated into Farsi at local exhibitions. Rahimullah Samander of AIJA asserts that, "Iranian influence is more dangerous than Pakistan's because the Iranians want to shape our thinking against Western influence." Samander asserted that as soon as popular western books are published, the Iranians translate them into Farsi and distribute them throughout Afghanistan, perhaps an attempt to control how Western culture in "translated" to the Afghans. Samander also noted that former- Soviet states whose motives are questioned here are vying for influence on the Afghan media. Afghan KABUL 00001190 002 OF 002 journalists increasingly receive paid trips to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for journalism training. According to Samander, Tajik journalists are "warning Afghan journalists against US influence." Samander noted that the study tours often take journalists to Iran and former-Soviet states right after each other, suggesting that Iran and Russia are perhaps collaborating in their efforts to thwart Western - particularly American - influence in Afghanistan. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (C) Iran is highly engaged in efforts to promote Persian culture throughout Afghanistan - activities that sometimes dwarf our own efforts to promote U.S. culture here. Still, some suspect that Minister Khoram's fear of "Iranian cultural domination" and pleas for U.S. understanding of GOA efforts to combat it may just be an attempt to justify censorship of the media (particularly Tolo TV, but also others) and supression of criticism of the government (see septel for details). Khoram has also cited the Taliban threat as the reason why the GOA must be allowed wide room to maneuver with the media. These concerns are valid in the context of the insurgency, but clearly the U.S. did not displace the Taliban regime only to allow new forms of censorship to take hold. We are working closely with the GOA to help them find a way out of this quandary. Post has urged Khoram to establish a forum for debate on what the broad lines of cultural expression should be, rather than making himself the arbiter and thereby risk continuing accusations of censorship and pressure on the media. The Embassy Public Affairs Section also continues to explore ways to support the Ministry of Information and Culture through book programs and a series of seminars on great figures in Afghan culture. ¶6. (C) BIO Note: Khoram is perceived as a Hezb-i- Islami conservative, but he studied at the French lycee in Kabul and for many years in Paris. His fluent French reflects a more cosmopolitan view of the world than he is generally credited for here. His views are also colored by having been imprisoned by the pro-Soviet Afghan regime for protesting the Soviet occupation - one confinement lasting three years and featuring torture by electro-shock. He has Karzai's full confidence as the manager of the GOA's anti- insurgency messaging and propaganda effort. Khoram is still tentatively feeling his way forward in this unfamiliar domain. U.S. Mission will continue to work with him to steer clear of pitfalls that conflict with our support for freedom of the press. NORLAND