Немцы и османы в Афганистане в годы Первой мировой войны: османский джихад, пропаганда и слухи

Новая и новейшая история. 2026. Т. 70. № 1. С. 79–92.

Шерстюков С. А.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Germany and the Ottoman Empire sought to draw Afghanistan into the conflict on the side of the Central Powers by dispatching diplomatic and military missions to Kabul. Although these efforts failed, the Ottoman proclamation of jihad and the activities of German and Ottoman agents in Afghanistan produced significant political and social consequences. After the arrival of the Niedermayer – Hentig mission in September 1915, inter-imperial rivalry in Afghanistan intensified, and propaganda assumed a role comparable in
importance to formal diplomacy. Drawing on Russian intelligence reports, this article examines the content, channels, and reception of German and Ottoman propaganda in Afghanistan, alongside the circulation of rumours that both originated from propaganda and emerged as popular responses to it. As a key mode of communication, rumours interacted with printed and oral propaganda, shaping perceptions and influencing the behaviour of Afghan elites, local communities, and foreign actors. Although the asymmetric warfare strategy pursued by Germany and the Ottoman
Empire in Afghanistan failed to achieve its strategic objectives, these initiatives heightened Entente anxieties about the spread of Ottoman jihad. They also stimulated forms of grassroots mobilisation and reinforced perceptions of religious and political solidarity between Afghan Muslims and the Ottoman state.

Keywords: Германия, Афганистан, Germany, Османская империя, propaganda, пропаганда, джихад, jihad, слухи, Afghanistan, Ottoman Empire, Первая мировая война, First World War, rumours, панисламизм, Pan-Islamism, межимперское соперничество