Afghanistan's Political History Shapes Its Future

The political history of Afghanistan begins as far back as the time of Alexander the Great. Alexander wanted Afghanistan as another jewel in his "crown of conquests" but died before he could execute his plan. The country was then divided among four Greek governors who eventually established their own governments independent of Greece.

Afghanistan's modern political history began in the late 18th Century when the Pashtuns came into power in 1709, followed by Amhad Shah Durrani in 1747. In 1776 Afghan's capital was changed from Kandahar to Kabul and in 1893 the country was again pulled apart and portions of it ceded to neighboring countries.

An Independent Country
The turbulent Afghanistan began to take shape around 1919, when the country declared its independence from Great Britain. By winning what is now called the Third Anglo-Afghan War, Afghanistan became the only independent Islamic state in the world. At this same time, the country signed a Treaty of Friendship with the Soviet Union, which had helped them defeat the British.

Reforms Take Shape
Amanullah Kahn, the country's leader at that time, began working to introduce stunning reforms throughout the country. He made elementary education free for all citizens, including women and created secondary schools for continued study. His other reforms included outlawing marriage to children and in-breeding, a widow was no longer "owned" by her husband's family, and women could lift their veils in public (though this was not mandatory). In fact Queen Soraya, Amanullah's wife, was the first Afghan woman ever to lift her veil in public. Amanullah met with much opposition to his work from religious fundamentalists, but he pressed on.

Amanullah's boldest attempt at reform was to establish a constitutional monarchy to take precedence over Islamic, or Sharia, Law. He created laws that gave rewards for work, not for position, and changed the tax laws so that money went directly to the government. Amanullah's attempts at modernization eventually became his undoing when orthodox clerical leaders rebelled and in 1929 he abdicated his position.

Civil War Comes to Afghanistan
Years of turmoil and constant leadership changes followed in which Afghanistan returned to traditional Islamic values. In 1953, Muhammad Daud became Prime Minister and modernization began again, this time with the help of the Soviet Union. In 1978, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan overthrew Daud and the new President, Noor Muhammad Taraki, declared Afghanistan a socialist nation.

Like the leaders before him Taraki fought for social changes including the emancipation of women and the end of illiteracy, and just as before, Islamic traditionalists fought back, this time aided by the United States. When the rebels won, the Soviets took a dislike to an American military presence on their doorstep and invaded Afghanistan in 1979. This conflict continued until 1989 when the Soviets withdrew.

However, Afghanistan's civil war raged on with pro-Soviet government leaders fighting Islamic fundamentalists known as the Mujahideen. But this time there was no help from either the Soviets or the Americans and in 1992 the fundamentalists took back Afghanistan. Yet in-fighting continued between tribes as the Mujahideen refused to let any other tribe control the country.

Rise of the Taliban
In 1994, former Mujahideen rebels created a group called the Taliban and with the help and support of Pakistan they took over the territory of Kandahar. In 1996, the Taliban secured Tabul and executed socialist President Mohammad Najibullah, hanging him and his brother from a traffic light. The next month, Sharia law was declared in Kabul, which ended co-ed schooling, forced women out of the workforce, and denied women all but basic access to healthcare.

A Hopeful Future in Afghanistan
The Afghanistan of the 21st Century is still turbulent, but with the help of the United States, the United Nations, and other allies, the country is again making progress. Under current President Karzai the country has drafted a new constitution and democratic elections were held in 2004. Only time will reveal the next stage of Afghanistan's existence at it moves toward democratic rule and works to end the Taliban's terrorist activities.