Afghanistan's Continuing Struggle

              After Afghanistan became an independent country, it still needed a guidance to help establish and keep their government in check. They then turned towards successful countries like the USSR and the United States for help. Without the assistance of these nations, Afghanistan would never be as stable as it is today.

                One ruler of Afghanistan was taken down particularly because of his communistic methods of ruling. When Hafizullah Amin came into rule, he caused a series of events that deteriorated the relations between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.  Not only did he destroy international relations, but Amin also publicly harassed the Soviet Union and their ways.(1) This turmoil that Amin created caused the USSR to invade Afghanistan and overthrow him. The USSR assassinated Amin through poison and brought in their troops to maintain order of the country.(2) If the USSR had not conflicted with the Amin rule, Afghanistan would have been transformed into a communist country.

 On 9/11/2001, hijacked passenger planes crashed into the twin towers, killing thousands and inflicting damage upon even more people across the world. Since that day the United States has been helping Afghanistan fight for control of the country from the Taliban. (3) They have developed plans and ideas for Afghanistan to create a new, long standing democracy. To this day, America has encouraged a people based government, made investments on the country, and assisted Afghanistan to build a strong security force.(4)

The Fight for Freedom

               In the late 1700’s, the British Empire was at its full might of imperialism. Corrupt leaders of Afghanistan’s government signed contracts for money or fame. One contract in particular gave rights to the British to manage Afghanistan’s foreign policy and affairs in exchange for gold and silver. (5) With another country managing their government, the people of Afghanistan were enraged. The citizens came to constant conflicts that turned up into the Anglo-Afghan Wars.

                During the year of 1919, tensions were high between Afghanistan and British India because the respective countries thought of each other as threats. (6) Following up the recent assassination of Habibullah, King Amanullah, the third son of Habibullah and a democratic influenced person, took the throne and decided to invade British India.(7)

                Using India’s civil uprising as a divergence to move Afghan troops to the border, the army crossed the Khyber Pass and attacked the small village of Bagh on May 3, 1919. (8) Following this first attack, many initial skirmishes were won because of sheer manpower and morale on the behalf of the Afghan troops. The British retaliated with better technology, transportation, and weapons. They also went into full force and used their royal air force to drop bombs and push back the Afghans into their country. (9) About a month later, this fighting was ceased when the Treaty of Rawalpindi was signed between the British and Afghans. This treaty recognized Afghanistan’s independence, stopped subsidies to Afghanistan, and agreed that British India would never extend past the Khyber Pass. 

Harsh Living

Imagine walking through endless deserts, climbing up steep inclines of mountains, and through sweat inducing heat. These sandy deserts and high range mountains make up the country of Afghanistan. Because of these harsh conditions, the citizens of Afghanistan have adapted to the living conditions and developed special personalities to deal with the harsh land and unbearable weather conditions.

                Life in the colonies of Afghanistan was very limited. Because only 6% of the land is cultivable, (10) many people formed isolated tribes across the nation. In these tribes, the afghan people focused on their supply of food and water. An Afghan’s daily diet would consist of coarse bread, tea, dairy products, and sometimes chicken or mutton. These foods need a good supply of ingredients, which the people would either have had to farm or trade for. For instance, The Tajik tribes was the most productive farmers because they had focused on producing vegetables, livestock, and products to sell and use. (11)

                The personalities of the citizens also contributed from the land. Many of the Afghani people valued self-reliance, valor, and loyalty to their family.(12) Due to the mountainous ranges, one had to travel far to obtain help on achieving his/her needed goal. Therefore he/she can only rely upon himself/herself. Many Afghans also stayed with their family and tribal beliefs. This characteristic could be tied to organizations like the Taliban because even though countries have tried to influence the organization to stop their attacks, the Taliban still never gives up on their main objective.