Afghanist The Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan

For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man

The land in Afghanistan is mountainous. Jagged, impassable ranges divide the country and make travel much more difficult. Due to these physical divisions, the people are extremely provincial,

Afghanistan is an Islamic republic that is located near Pakistan. Kabul is the capital city and the country’s Chief of State is President Hamid Karzai. The country bears a population of 33.609 million people. It has been in war for three decades making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The insecurity in the country has resulted in a large number of refugees. The current war that is going on began in 2001 by several terrorist groups such as Hezbi Islami.

The situation in Afghanistan actually began in 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded their country. The United States funded money to the "mujahedin," or holy warriors, in the name of stopping communism. From this support, Afghanistan was able to defeat the Soviet Union in 1989. Yet the country became very unstable after the war. Political power was fluctuating often and leaders came in and out of power rapidly. Farmers resorted to growing many drugs such as poppies and marijuana and sold them around the globe. Cities were annihilated. Over five million Afghanis fled to other countries in search of a better life. When the Afghanis turned to the United States for help in rebuilding our country, we refused. This caused great anger amongst the Afghani people directed toward the United States. This also lead to Mullah Mohammod Omar, the current leader of Afghanistan, to form a ground of men to "rebuild" his country. They are now known as the Taliban. Omar's personal description is, "A simple band of dedicated youths determined to establish the laws of God on

Afghanistan has been for years a country struggling with authority issues. These struggles date back to the 16th century of the Mughal Empire and continues with the Taliban today. These historic struggles are responsible of the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of our world. There have been many attempts from other groups to try and “conquer” the land but

Russian military involvement in Afghanistan has a long history, going back to Tsarist expansions in the long standing relationship between Russia and Britain (Rubin 1995). This began in the 19th century with such events as the Panjdeh Incident, a military conflict that occurred in 1885 when Russian forces seized Afghan territory south of the Oxus River around an oasis at Panjdeh (Rubin 1995). This interest in the region continued on through the Soviet era, with billions in economic and military aid sent to Afghanistan between 1955 and 1978 (Rubin 1995).

Afghanistan once served as a base for the terror group that carried out the horrific attacks of 9/11, Al Qaeda , and its leader, Osama Bin Laden. The United States invaded and since then has killed Bin Laden

The Afghan government is not stable enough and the evironment is not secure for the citizens. 9/11 caused Afghanistan to be attacked after 9/11 happened, which also negatively affected Afghanistan.

The Afghani experience with the Soviet Union is nothing like Central Asian-Russian relations. Ideologically Russia had the same goal for both Central Asia and Afghanistan, hoping that one day both Central Asia and Afghanistan will eventually become Communist nations. The route chose to accomplish this goal did not pan out as planned. Central Asian countries were first invaded in 1715 and again in 1865, there was little to no resistance. Russia came with economic interest and nothing else, the search for gold and the prospect of the Fergana Valley cotton industry. They lived parallel lives, did not mix with the locals or even attempt to implement themselves in Central Asian government. Central Asia never had the ability to defend itself from Russia and Russia had a legitimate geostrategic interest in controlling the region keeping it safe from any ground

The Afghani experience with the Soviet Union is nothing like Central Asian-Russian relations. Ideologically Russia had the same goal for both Central Asia and Afghanistan, hoping that one day both Central Asia and Afghanistan will eventually become Communist nations. The route chose to accomplish this goal did not pan out as planned. Central Asian countries were first invaded in 1715 and again in 1865, there was little to no resistance. Russia came with economic interest and nothing else, the search for gold and the prospect of the Fergana Valley cotton industry. They lived parallel lives, did not mix with the locals or even attempt to implement themselves in Central Asian government. Central Asia never had the ability to defend itself from Russia and Russia had a legitimate geostrategic interest in controlling the region keeping it safe from any ground forces attacking Russia. As for Afghanistan the only possible benefit of conquering it is to conquer it before Britain does, and since Britain was so unsuccessful at all its attempts that was not an issue. Most of Britain’s reasoning for invading Afghanistan came from Afghanistan’s acceptance of Russian relations.

Key to understanding the Afghan concept of identity is that it formed in relation to others: to the family, to community, to tribe or ethnic group. A person’s sense of self and place in the

Afghanistan is a country that has been divided by several ethnic groups, with the two most relevant being the Pashtun and the Tajik. It is hard to determine the percentage of the population that compromises each ethnic group due to the lack of census in the countries for many years. However, the CIA World factbook gives a rough estimate: Pashtun 42

Afghanistan is a multi ethnic country and it foregrounds its belief and tradition based on kinship and familial love. The culture of Afghanistan starts from their tribal communities. These communities formed their own ethnic identity and as its outcome the society has various ethnic communities. The hierarchy of afghan society is rooted on the ethnic differences. A country’s glorification is known by its distinct identity and through their values on religion, culture and tradition.

Background information. [Accessed 13 May 2016]. The country of Afghanistan is in Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran. It is a small nation, and it is slightly smaller than Texas (area 652,230 sq km). It is bordered by Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. The land is very mountainous and the terrain is very rugged. The country is divided by the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Tajikistan (officially the Republic of Tajikistan) is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan's Chitral and the Gilgit-Baltistan region, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor.