Intro

Afghanistan is one of the most complicated countries to talk about in the world. In this post, I want to give a simple understanding of Afghanistan. By no means will you be an expert on Afghanistan after reading this post, but hopefully you will walk away with a bit more of an understanding of Afghanistan.

History of Afghanistan

The history of Afghanistan stretches back thousands upon thousands of years ago. I will eventually get to Afghanistan in one of my different history series. Skipping a bit of time, Afghanistan became an important area in the silk road from around the 2nd century BCE to around the 15th century AD. Then a few hundred years later, Afghanistan was the site of the "great game" between Russia and Britain over influence in Asia.

Modern History of Afghanistan

Let's fast forward to more modern history. In 1978 an Afghani president, Mohammad Daud Khan was overthrown. He was replaced with a left-wing government that was friendly to the Soviet Union. The new government enacted policy that was resented by the devout Muslim population. This slowly turned into an insurgency by tribal and urban groups that became known as the mujahideen. They were backed by western allies, like the US. In order to better prop up a communist regime in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union started sending more and more troops. This lasted from 1979 to 1989. This led to a civil war spanning 1989 to 1992. The result of which was a victory by the mujahideen and dissolution of the Republic of Afghanistan. This in turn, led to the Afghan Civil war from 1992 to 1996. This resulted in the Taliban establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Recent History of Afghanistan

Now let's look at the recent history of Afghanistan. A new civil war happened between 1996 to 2001. during this conflict a group known as Al-Qaeda helped support the Taliban with fighters. Leading up to September 11, 2001, there were high level assassinations that happened throughout Afghanistan. Finally, an attack was perpetrated by Al-Qaeda against the United State collectively known as 9/11. The US essentially requested the Al-Qaeda leaders, specifically Osama bin Laden's, head in a box. The Taliban refused and thus led to the US invasion of Afghanistan. After America took control over a couple of decades, the US left, the Taliban came back in 2021. The reinstatement of the Taliban’s' Islamic emirate is essentially where we are at in Afghani history. At a later point I will go more in-depth into these events in some other post.

What Region is Afghanistan in?

As anyone can see Afghanistan has had a rough go at it as of recent history. This, though, is not the only thing that makes Afghanistan difficult to talk about. The region that Afghanistan is considered to be a part of is even up for debate. Most people would say Afghanistan is part of South Asia, along with Pakistan and India. However, some want to include Afghanistan with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan as part of Central Asia. And if you ask most Americans, they will put Afghanistan with West Asia or the middle east with Iran and Iraq. The simplest way that historians or geographers put it is that Afghanistan is at a crossroads amongst many different regions.

Basic Information About Afghanistan

Afghanistan is around 650,000 km sq (250,000 miles sq) which is roughly the size of France or the US state of Texas. It has a population of around 40,000 as of 2021. Much of the data we have about Afghanistan is going to be slightly out of date because of the reinvasion by the Taliban. The population is a few million less than that of Canada and a little more of a population than the US state of California. The age of Afghanistan is relatively young, with the median age being around 18. The majority of Afghanis are Pashtuns at around 42% and language is Dari is spoken by 78% of the population. Afghanistan is majority Muslim with more than 99% of Afghanistan practicing Islam. This can be broken down to around 85% to 90% being Sunni and 10% to 15% being Shia.

Quick Geography Facts About Afghanistan

When one thinks of Afghanistan, they mainly think of the deserts of Afghanistan. However, it is forgotten that Afghanistan is hilly and has many mountains. The most famous of which is the Hindu Kush Mountain range. One of the most famous rivers in Afghanistan is the Helmand River.

Afghanistan Economy

In a quick summation, I want to discuss Afghanistan's economy. Afghanistan has a GDP of around 14.78 billion USD as of 2021, making it 86th in the world. This is between Niger and Madagascar. However, when looked at as GDP per capita it is around 190th which is close to the bottom. It has a population of 49.4% living below the poverty line as of 2020. However, this is not to say Afghanistan doesn’t have the potential for greatness. Afghanistan has over a trillion dollars’ worth of proven untapped mineral deposits. Notable resources with Afghanistan include barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semi- precious stone, salt, sulfur, lithium, talc, and zinc.

Afghanistan Neighbors

Afghanistan’s complications can really be seen when it comes to foreign policy. Up front, Afghanistan borders Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. The country that may be most surprising is China. In the northeast area of Afghanistan, there is a border of around 92km (57mi) long. The border is closed on the Chinese side. This is for numerous reasons. Though this doesn’t mean their relationship is sour, in some respects it is quite the opposite. China is one of, by some accounts the, largest trading partner to Afghanistan. China even gave Afghanistan aid throughout their fight against the Taliban.

Afghanistan and Pakistan

This leads to Afghanistan's relation with Pakistan. In many ways this is the opposite of the relations with China. Afghanistan and Pakistan's relations has been sour more times than good. The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is called the Durand Line. Afghanistan has disputed many parts of this line, instead, claiming different parts of Pakistan. In fact, before and after the Taliban recapturing Afghanistan there have been border disputes between the two countries.

Great Powers and Afghanistan Today

In the larger picture, the US was an ally while occupying Afghanistan. However, since the Taliban regained control, the US has been more of an adversary. It has been reported that the Taliban has been bringing harm to any afghani that had help the US during the occupation. In return the Biden administration has been holding around 9 billion dollars worth of assets from Afghanistan. On the flip side, Russia has been seen as trying to warm relations between them and the Taliban.

Conclusion

Afghanistan is a complicated country to understand. It is poor, but has the potential to be a great economic power in the middle of Asia. Its location has been coveted by many of the great empires of the past. The present doesn't look any different, as great powers continue to desire some kind of relationship.