AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is another one of those countries that has been in the news once or twice recently. The Islamic Emirate, whose population is composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks, could be considered part of the “Greater Middle East” and in fact, none of Afghanistan’s neighbors are “Arab countries”. Indeed, it is sandwiched between the major countries of that region – Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east and south – as if that’s better. It is also bordered by Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the north, and Tajikistan and China to the northeast. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic era, and the country's strategic location along the historic Silk Road connected it to the cultures of other parts of Asia as well as Europe, leaving behind the mosaic of ethnolinguistic and religious groups, mentioned above. The land has also witnessed numerous military campaigns throughout its history including those by Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Muslim Arabs, and the Mongols. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. The various conquests and periods in both the Indian and Persian cultural spheres made the area a center for Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and later Islam throughout history. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani dynasty in the 18th century. This empire, at its peak, ruled an area stretching from eastern Iran to northern India. Following its decline, and the death of Timur Shah, it was divided into the smaller independent kingdoms of Herat, Kandahar and Kabul, before being reunited in the 19th century after wars of unification led by Dost Mohammad Khan. During this time, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the "Great Game" between British India and the Russian Empire. The British in India attempted to subjugate the country but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War; in the second Anglo-Afghan war, the British successfully established a protectorate. Following a third war in 1919, the country became free of foreign dominance, and eventually emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926 under Amanullah Khan. This kingdom lasted almost 50 years, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, following which a republic was established. Afghanistan's history since the late 1970s has been dominated by coups, revolutions, invasions, insurgencies and civil wars, not to mention, a Soviet invasion and occupation and, after 9/11, an invasion by an American-led coalition force which hunted down the terrorist network that was responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington. Mission accomplished, the eventual American withdrawal unfortunately, ended up in a big mess. Today, the country is under the control of the Islamist Taliban, which came back to power after a 20-year long war. In the meantime, Afghanistan has witnessed high levels of terrorism, poverty, and child malnutrition, and an economy that ranks number 96 in the world. See this BBC report. Women’s rights are another issue of concern. See this video clip as reported by NBC News and this clip by the PBS NewsHour.