The Continuing Role of the Outside World in Afghanistan

The Continuing Role of the Outside World in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been considered a land of violence and discontent for much of its history. The government always seems to be in disorder, and its people never seem completely happy. Because of this image of being unfit to control its own affairs, the international community has long been involved in the history of Afghanistan. The world intervenes in Afghan conflicts and works to keep the country in order. Sometimes the outside assistance is advantageous to the Afghan people, but at other times it is unnecessary and only creates more problems. In this paper I will examine the prominent role of the international community throughout Afghanistan’s history. I will begin with the First Afghan War of 1838 and continue through the war on terrorism of 2001. The function of the world in each of these conflicts and their aftermaths will be the main focus. The First Afghan War was the beginning to years of international intervention in Afghanistan.

In 1838 the First Afghan War began and centered around British attempts to replace the Emir of Afghanistan because of fears of growing Russian influence. An Emir is a prince, chieftain or governor especially in the Middle East. Afghanistan’s position as a buffer state between the Russian Empire and British India meant that the British and Indian authorities were anxious to ensure that a pro-British Emir was on the throne at Kabul. A British envoy was sent to Kabul to gain support of the current Emir, Dost Mohammed, in 1837, when the British took the threat of a Russian invasion of India via the Khyber and Bolan passes very seriously The Emir was in favor of an alliance, but when the British refused to help him gain Peshawar...

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...humanitarian relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts. The government is still struggling to become independent today. This past March, the UN Security Council extended the tenure of the UNAMA until March of 2004. The role of the international community in Afghanistan’s affairs will seemingly never end as its history of conflict has left it in a state of permanent dependence.

Works Cited

Grau, Lester. The Soviet-Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost. Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2000.

Human Rights Watch. “Pakistan, Iran, Russia Fueling Afghan Civil War.” New York: 13 July 2001.

Maley, William. The Afghanistan Wars. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

Schofield, Victoria. Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

United States Government Press Releases: 11 September 2001.