A timeline of Afghan

History
Historical Past
Neighbours
Influence of superpowers
International Organizations

Agenda
History of Aghanistan : early
70s -2001
History of Afghanistan:
2001-present
Politically and military important neighbours and their attitude
towards Afghanistan
Influence of Superpowers (USA, The Soviet
Union and Russia)
International
Organizations

The collapse of the Kingdom of

Afghanistan
The last ruler of the Durani dynasty and, implicitly,
the last king of Afghanistan- Mohammed Zahir
Shah- was installed as king in 1933 at 19 years old
following the assassination of his father. He rulled an
unparalleled 4 decades, but for the first 30 years was
mostly a figurehead under the thumbs of his uncles,
who were serving in the office of the Prime-Minister.
Afghanistan declared neutrality during W.W II, but
nevertheless, the central government remained weak
and the nation was driven by clan loyalties.

Nikita
Khrusch
ev in
Kabul
1955

President Eisenhower
in Kabul
1959

Zahir Shah in
Washington D.C in
1963 alongside
J.F.K

The collapse of the Kingdom of

Afghanistan(II)
The drought and famine in the early 1970s
proved destabilizing, and in 1973, while the
king was taking health treatments in Italy,
Mohammed Daoud seized power from his
cousin in a coup, proclaimed Afghanistan a
republic and established himself as
President, abolishing the monarchy.

Daouds Regime
Daouds dictatorial regime of the 1970s
sought political reforms and the economic
upheaval ofthe country, but at the same time
the regime realistically suffered from internal
weakness, withwhichDaoud dealt by
strengthening the central power of the Kabul
administration and by inviting thecommunists
to theOn
Government.
the other hand, Daoud wanted to lessen

the country's dependence on the Soviet Union

and attempted to promote a new foreign
policy. He went toEgypt,India, Saudi Arabia,
and Iran for aid. Surprisingly, he did not
renew the Pashtunistan agitation; relations
with Pakistan improved thanks to
interventions from the US and Iran.

The Saur Revolution (27-28 april 1978)

The murder of a leading Afghan Communist Party
leader, Myr Akhbar Khyber, in early April 1978 has
encouraged the communists to launch their
successful campaign against the Daoud regime.
The government of President Daoud came to a
violent end in the early morning hours of 27 April
1978, when military units loyal to the Khalq faction
of the PDPA stormed the palace in the heart of
Kabul. Daoud and most of his family
wereassassinated during the coup.

Communist rule

Once in power, the PDPA implemented a liberal and

MarxistLeninist agenda. It moved to replace religious and
traditional laws with secular and MarxistLeninist ones.
Resistance of the domestic population (large parts of the
rural areas plunged into open revolt against the new
Marxist-Leninist government).
By spring 1979 unrests had reached 24 out of 28 Afghan
provinces including major urban areas. (By December the
government had lost control of territory outside the cities).

Soviet-Afghan War
In 1979, the threat of tribal insurgency against the
communist government triggered an invasion by80,000
Soviet troops, who then endured a very effective decadelong guerrilla war against the mujadinees.. In 1988, the
Soviet Union agreed to create a neutral Afghan state, and
finally the last Soviet troops left in 1989.

Control by the Taliban

In 1992, Afghanistan descended into

civil war thatfurther ravaged the
economy.Despite several temporary
alliances, struggles among the
armed groups continued until one
Islamic fundamentalist group, the
Taliban, gained control of most
ofthecountry in 1996.The Taliban
used an extremist interpretation of
Islam to assert repressive control of
society.The economy remained in
ruins, and most government services
ceased. The Taliban controlled some
90% of the country by 2000, but
their government was not generally

History of Aghanistan: 2001present

By summer 2001, the Taliban wan control of over 90% of
Afghan territory;
The assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud;
The attacks of 9/11 in New York;

The beginning of the war in Afghanistan

The phases of the Afghanistan

War:
1st Phase-Toppling the Taliban.
2nd Phase- Military defeat of the Taliban and
rebuilding of core Afghan institutions.
3rd Phase- Classic counterinsurgency
doctrine.

The shift of international focus:

With the overthrow of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the
international focus shifted towards reconstruction and
nation-building efforts in Afghanistan.
Between 2001 and 2009, just over $38 billion in
humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to
Afghanistan was appropriated by the U.S. Congress.
The first democratic Afghan elections since the fall of the
Taliban were held on Oct. 9, 2004. (Constitution of 2004)

A timeline of events:

2006
Taliban
comeback

2008
$15 billion
in aid to
Afghanistan

2009
A new
American
strategy

2011
Death of
Osama bin
Laden

2014withdrawal
of all
coalition
combat
troops

The lessons of Afghanistan: War fighting,

intelligence, and force transformation.
Moreover, the Afghan conflict is anything but a conventional war. It is an
asymmetric war fought with radically different methods, by different sides
with different goals and perceptions, and as a theater battle in a broader
global struggle against terrorism. Although somewhat similar conflicts have
taken place in the past- even the Soviet Unions experience in Afghanistan
was different in terms of the forces on each side, the weapons used, and the
alliances in the region- it is usually difficult to make historical comparisons.
There are new players, new variables, and higher stakes in the war and peace
calculus of Afghanistan. The rise of Daesh (or ISIS), the power struggle within
the Taliban, increased criminalization, and the regionalization of war have
changed the rules of war within the country and beyond.

Afghanistans relationship
with Pakistan

Afganistan shares its

longest border line with
pakistan in North- West
(Durand Line);
Multiple ethnic conflicts
between 1940-1970.

The Pakistani role in the SovietAfghan war:

The sanctuary of Pakistan allowed the majahideens to arganize
military operations;
The Islamabad government became a conduit for multinational
arms deliveries to those fighting in Afganistan;
Pakistan was indispensable in drawing international attention to
the mujahideen cause and led the condemnation of the Soviet
armed intervention in international fora;
Pakistans open border enabled more than 3.2 million Afghans to
find refuge and aid in camps.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban

Pakistan was one of the only 4 countries which recognized the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
During the Aghan Civil war, Taliban received military support
from Pakistan and financial support from Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan militarily intervened in Afghanistan, deploying
battalions and regiments of its Frontier Corps and Army against
the United Front.
Al Qaeda supported the Taliban with thousands of imported
fighters from Pakistan, Arab countries, and Central Asia.

Afghan-Iranian Relations:

Close cultural and linguistic ties;

Iranian support against the Soviet Union invasion;
Support towards the Northern Alliance against Taliban;
Since late 2001, the Afghan government under Hamid Karzai has engaged
in cordial relations with both Iran and the United States;
The government of Iran is strongly against the American military presence
in Afghanistan;
Ties between Afghanistan and Iran became strained in recent years due to
Iran's toughened immigration policy, hastening the repatriation of many
Afghan asylum seekers.

Soviet-Afghan Relations
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) had been
a major power broker and influential mentor in the
politics of its poorer and much smaller neighbour.
Since 1947, Afghanistan had been under the influence
of the Soviet government and received large amounts of
aid, economic assistance, military equipment training
and military
hardware
from thebegan
Sovieton
Union.
Soviet-Afghan
military
cooperation
a regular
basis in 1956, and further agreements were made in the
1970s, which saw the USSR send advisers and
specialists.

Afghan-Russian Relations after

2001
Russias policy towards the problem of Afghanistan has
become one of the key issues in Russian foreign policy, both
regarding the countries of the region and the key actors
outside the region.

2001-2002
Offensive

2003-2006
Stagnation

20072011
Return
of
Russias
active
policy

2012-2015
Fight
against
terrorism
threat

Russias goals in the region:

Although Russias policy in the region has changed
throughout the last 15 years, some of them remained
unchanged:
Being as
influential in
Afghanistan as
possible

Limiting the
influence of
US and
Pakistan in the
region

Tendencies of Russian Positions in

the region:
By tracking the evolution of Russian policy, we can see in
fact that two strategies were being implemented :
Interest in the
rapid withdrawal
of Western forces
from the region
and from Central
Asia especially,

Interest in
mainting the
Western presence
inside
Afghanistan itself.

The Breakthrough of 2009-2011

Hamid Karzais government

political agreement with

the Taliban;
Western Coalition
intention of forces withdraw;
Russia
increase of support of Karzais government;
Russian position on the withdraw of Western presence:
Supports the withdrawal
speed of withdrawal

Concerned with the

Russias primal interests

Russias primary concern in Afghanistan is
maintaining security in the AfghanCentral
Asian region. Moscow seeks to prevent
instability in Central Asian countries, some of
whichTajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan
are its allies in the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO).

Potential threat to Russia?

An unstable Afghanistan, poses, although indirectly, a threat to
Russia.

Drug traffic that originates on Afghan territory and reaches

the Russian market through Central Asian countries;
Afghan territory may turn into a training ground for terrorists
and militants that target Russia, which is another serious risk.

Russias tools in the region:

Russias resources in and around Afghanistan for
countering these threats are rather limited.

Russias protections against Afghan drug exports are

weak and ineffective.
There are essentially no reliable borders along the route
from Afghanistan to Russia that could stop armed groups
or individual terrorists from reaching Russian territory.

Russian relations with Afghanistan

Since Russia has no vital interests in Afghanistan and is not
bound by obligations to allies or clients inside the country,
its only concern should be the nations overall stability.

Under no pretext should Russia involve itself in Afghan

affairseither politically or militarily.(the experience of the

Soviet-Afghan war)

Afghan-Us Relations
Focal points of Afghan-USA relations:
1919- King Amanullah, the reformist monarch of Afghanistan, dispatched the
first Afghan envoy to Washington following independence from Britain.
Full diplomatic relations were established in 1934 and 1935.
Inconsistent patterns of tension and collaboration.
Following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the US actively supported
mujahidin resistance fighters in its quest to contain the Communist threat.
The immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack marked the obvious
deterioration of relations between Afghanistan and the USA.
US-led full scale invasion of the country began in 2001 as part of George W.
Bushs War on Terror.
US involvement in Afghanistan continues until today, with the US providing
support in various ways, including humanitarian relief and assistance,
capacity-building, security needs etc.

Afghan-USA relations after 2001

Following the September 11 attacks in the United States, believed to
be orchestrated by Osama bin Laden who was residing in Afghanistan
under asylum at the time, the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom
was launched. This major military operation was aimed at removing the
Taliban government from power and to capture or kill al Qaeda
members, including Osama bin Laden. Following the overthrow of the
Taliban, the U.S. supported the new government of Afghan President
Hamid Karzai by maintaining a high level of troops to establish the
authority of his government as well as combat Taliban insurgency. Both
Afghanistan and the United States resumed diplomatic ties in late 2001.

Reconstructing Afghanistan?
The United States has taken the leading role in the overall
reconstruction of Afghanistan by providing billions of dollars
to the Afghan National Security Forces, building national
roads, government and educational institutions.
Did 9/11 Justify the War in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan and the United

Nations:The 80s-90s
First
deplored the armed intervention and called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces
resolution disregard for human rights and condemns large-scale violations
'Situation in
Afghanistan

Agreements
Situation
Relating to
Afghanistan
under UN
auspices

end to foreign intervention in Afghanistan (the USSR began withdrawing its forces)
UNGOMAP monitoring mission

Agricultural assistance,food aid, public health services,economic recovery

programmes,repatriation project
UN's
United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan(UNSMA)
Rehabilitation
programmes for
projects focused on human development and poverty alleviation in rural communities
the
reconstruction
of Afghanistan

The Talibans

-concern at the continuing

presence of terrorists in the

territory
-applied sanctions and noted
that Bin Landen must be
turn over to the appropriate
authorities to be brought to
justice

Security Council
resolution: calling on all
Afghan parties to end
hostilities and engage in
a political dialogue

1996Taliban took
Kabul

1997
1998 -1999
SG appointed a Special
Envoy to make
recommendations on
UN peacemaking
activities

2000-2001

"The Deepening Crisis -a plan of action to support critically vulnerable Afghans

providing food aid, shelter for internally displaced people

11 September terrorist attack

Security Council expressed support for the efforts of the Afghans to replace the Taliban regime

Northern Alliance had entered Kabul - a decisive event in the defeat of the Taliban(12 november
2001)
The four groups represented signed an agreement :re-establishment of permanent government institutions in Afghanistan.

Security Council authorized the establishment of an International Security Assistance Force

(ISAF)
to help the Authority maintain security in Kabul and its surrounding areas

International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance on

Afghanistan(Tokyo,2002)
"Our challenge is to help the Afghans help themselves,"
UNAMA : Good Offices, Human Rights, Development Coherence and Regional Cooperation .

Afghanistan & NATO

NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history after the 9/11
terrorist attacks against the United States

Collective defense means that an attack against one Ally is

considered as an attack against all Allies. (Article 5, The he
Washington Treaty)

On 4 October, it had been determined that the attacks came from

abroad, NATO agreed on a package of eight measures to support the
United States

Measures:
1.
2.

To enhance intelligence-sharing and cooperation

3.

To take necessary measures to provide increased security for facilities of the United States and
other Allies on their territory

4.

to backfill selected Allied assets in NATOs area of responsibility that are required to directly
support operations against terrorism

5.
6.

to provide blanket overflight clearances for the United States and other Allies aircraft

7.

that the Alliance is ready to deploy elements of its Standing Naval Forces to the Eastern
Mediterranean in order to provide a NATO presence and demonstrate resolve

8.

that the Alliance is similarly ready to deploy elements of its NATO Airborne Early Warning Force
to support operations against terrorism

To provide assistance to Allies and other countries which are or may be subject to increased
terrorist threats

to provide access for the United States and other Allies to ports and airfields on the territory of
NATO member countries

Afghanistan & NATO

NATOs primary goal: to enable the national authorities to provide
effective security across the country + ensure it can never again be a safe
haven for terrorists.

From 2003 to 2014

security
operations(130,00
0 strong with troops
from 51 NATO and
partner nations)

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)

helped build up
the Afghan
security forces