AFGHANISTAN A Second Chance to Transform a Nation :: Essays Papers

AFGHANISTAN A Second Chance to Transform a Nation GRAPH I. Historical Background, Pre-European Intervention Before Western European intervention in its affairs, Afghanistan progressed relatively well while resisting the interference of invading foreigners. The region was among the first to domesticate plants and animals over 50,000 years ago, and in the 2000s BCE, urban centers served as important centers of commerce and craft. The city of Mundigak, located near the modern city of Kandahar, possibly invented bronze and served as an important passage between Mesopotamia and other Indus valley civilizations. Its relative prominence and strategic value led Darius the Great to expand the Persian Empire into the majority of Afghanistan in an invasion around 500 BCE that included some of its most metropolitan areas. In a foreshadowing of conflicts to come over the next few thousand years, the Afghan people constantly revolted against and attacked the Persian authority with their tribal groups, particularly in the Arachosia region. After 200 years, Alexander the Great conquered Persia, whic h consequently led to another invasion into Afghanistan met by constant and bloody revolt. In 50 AD, Kushan rule was established by King Kanishka, but the empire fragmented into hostile dynasties 170 years later, setting up the stage for the White Hun invasion of 400 AD that resulted in the destruction of Afghani Buddhist culture. In 550 AD, Persians reaffirmed control over roughly the modern boundaries of Afghanistan, but once again, Afghan tribes revolted fiercely against the Persian occupiers. These events should have served as important and noted precedents for future generations of invaders (Chronological History of Afghanistan). II. Early Precedents of Failed Western Intervention in Afghani Affairs The region of Afghanistan became strategically significant with Great Britain’s colonization of India. By the early nineteenth century, India provided vast amounts of resources, land, and profit for England, and the British considered India the jewel of their â€Å"imperial crown† that needed to be protected at all costs (Chirnside). Under its tsarist rule, Russia had been expanding in many directions, and southward seemed to be the next logical alternative. Russia sent various diplomatic envoys that began to gain favor with Dost Muhammad, the acting ruler of Afghanistan during that time.