Chapter 2 Continues…


Regarded as the coveted prize of empires and a source of indigenous warrior kingdoms, Afghanistan had evolved through the modern era to the status of a buffer state, to a Cold War battlefield, and finally to a mere hideout of the so-called Islamic terrorist outfits. There is also a common concept that in between enduring or resisting invasions, Afghans have sharpened their marital skills by fighting amongst themselves in a terrain that facilitates division of power and resists the concept of centralized control. Afghans have thus faced continuous conflict for centuries. The passes of Afghanistan have borne witness to the armies of the Persians, Greeks, Mauryans, Huns, Mongols, Mughals, British, Soviets, and the Americans passing through them.
Its political importance however began to decline during the medieval period. Once the sea routes were discovered, the importance of Afghanistan declined from an essential passage between civilizations to a land-locked country with no maritime border. However, in the nineteenth century the world’s greatest sea-faring empire (Great Britain) and the largest land power (Russia) vied for control of Afghanistan in a contest known in history as the “Great Game.” Following that, the previous century was witness to the most gruesome battle fought over Afghanistan between the Cold War rivals, the USA and the USSR—the repercussion of which continue to beleaguer the country even today.

2. CONFLICT IN AFGHANISTAN (THE HIGH-INTENSITY PERIOD)
Conflict is a phenomenon quite common to Afghanistan’s contemporary history and was of very high-intensity during the years 1979-1996. According to Sultan Barakat,23 an analysis of the Afghan conflict needs to be underpinned by an understanding of the history of state formation and of its relationship with the society. The present borders of the country were established when the so-called great powers, Russia and Britain sought to establish a buffer between the then Russian and British Empires.
In the view of some analysts, its identity is more indicative of the strategic needs of the former imperial powers than it is of any social or political structures within the formal borders of the Afghan state.


To be continued…