...Yet Hazara successes are breeding their own problems. The community's migration to the cities over the past five years has caused local resentment, particularly in Herat.
They are accused of acting as agents for their co-religionists in Iran, receiving money and business support in return. Many of the Hazaras who have settled in Herat were refugees in Iran during the war years, fuelling such suspicions. Iranian cultural influence has grown steadily, particularly in Herat, since 2001. This is largely through trade ties and redevelopment work, though charges of more sinister machinations persist. As one Western analyst puts it, Iran is “keeping its foot in the door”. Iranian officials themselves have hinted at their ability to destabilise Afghanistan as well as Iraq. But there is no reason to believe that the Hazaras would be Iran's natural ally in this. For the time being, they clearly equate the removal of NATO troops with an end to their own renaissance—and a return to the divisions that brought their past suffering.
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