For my final two blog entries, I think I'll try to briefly sum up what I've learned throughout the semester about the history of Afghanistan, how things got to be as they are, and what the future may hold. It seems an appropriate way to bring a close to things, and at the same time do a little preparation for the final exam. This first one will consist of the events which have shaped Afghanistan and led up to the American invasion, and the second will be about what we can do to get ourselves out of this mess. I don't intend for this to be of research-paper quality or length, just an overview of what I feel is the most important things I've learned, and it should be said that going into this course I knew very little about Afghanistan or the war. With that said...
18th Century - 2001
Modern Afghanistan was born out of the imperialistic endeavors of the West, and competition between Russia and The British Empire during the 19th century. Afghanistan has long been a pit stop for rampaging conquerors, as it lies at the crossroads between China, India, Central Asia and the Middle East. It is Abdur Rahman Khan, the "Iron Amir" who is credited to having founded modern Afghanistan. He was the first leader who was able to consolidate his power and establish his authority over the fractured tribal lands into one nation state called Afghanistan. Following two previous wars involving Britain, and in his attempts to modernize his country he was also willing to accept British patronage in exchange for British control over Afghan foreign affairs.
The British sought to establish Afghanistan as sovereign nation - a buffer state to provide a cushion between Russian advances into Central Asia and the British territories of West Asia. With the Iron Amir in power, this was possible. In 1919, a third war broke out between Afghanistan and Britain, under the rule of Amanullah Khan, and Afghanistan regained control over it's foreign affairs. This was the end of British involvement in the country until almost eighty years later. Following a series of assassinations and infighting, Zahir Shah came to power in 1933 and reigned until 1973. During this time, the rising Soviet Union began to get involved with Afghanistan, and communism spread to Kabul. A communist party known as the PDPA rose to power, and over-threw Shah in 1973 and he was exiled.
The Soviet Union saw it in their interest to ensure a stable communist leadership in Afghanistan who had close ties to Moscow. In-fighting within the PDPA and a split in the party, however, did not fit with these interests. A bloody coup occured in 1978, which came to be known as the "Saur Revolution", and following a series of political assassinations and further in-fighting and struggle, Hazifullah Amin seized power in 1979. During all this time, the PDPA enforced sweeping reforms, outlawing Islamic laws and traditions, and caused enormous unrest throughout Afghanistan and resistance began to emerge. By the end of 1979, the Afghan government was on the verge of collapse, and the Soviets had had enough and decided to intervene and invaded in December of 1979.
Meanwhile in the west, the cold war was in full-swing, and America saw Afghanistan as an opportunity to weaken the Soviet Union. They began funneling huge amounts of money to the Afghan resistance against the Soviets, which came to be known as the Mujaheddin, through Pakistan's ISI. It was during this time that the warlords began amassing power, fighters and resources, funded by the U.S. and with contributions from Saudi Arabia. After ten years of resistance by the Afghan Mujaheddin, and the with Soviet Union on the verge of collapse, Russia limped out of Afghanistan in 1989. However, the large supplies of weapons, the self-made militias of the warlords, and a fractured country remained. This lead to a civil war over who was to control Afghanistan.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran continued to fund various factions of their choosing, who fought amongst themselves for control over various regions of the country. In the mid 1990s, a new faction, formed by Mullah Omar and consisting of students from the Madrases of Kandahar emerged called the Taliban. They quickly began to gain the support and respect of the public, and soon the ISI began funding their campaign. Many men deserted their former units to join forces with the Taliban, who not only sought to represent the poor politically but also had strong religious foundations which resonated with many Afghans. In 1996, the Taliban gained control of Kabul, followed by many victories (and some defeats) throughout the country. At this time, the Northern Alliance was formed by Ahmad Massoud and Abdul Dotsum, who would continue fighting the Taliban for control over northern Afghanistan until the U.S. invasion in 2001.
As the Taliban seized control over much of the country, they began enforcing Sharia and stripped woman of almost all their rights. Toward the end of the 1990s, they also began to aid Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist network Al-Qaeda, which established training camps in parts of Afghanistan. In 2001, Al-Qaeda launched the September 11th attacks on the U.S., which prompted the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to remove Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, who the U.S. saw as partners in the attack. The Taliban quickly fell from power under the might of U.S. air power, and many retreated to Pakistan where they found relative safety. It was from here that the Taliban re-grouped and began their insurgency against the U.S. which continues to the present day. So that, in as few words as possible, is how we ended up in Afghanistan.
Continued in next post...
dates and names referenced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Afghanistan
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