Afghanistan History

Afghanistan has always been of strategic importance in the Asian sphere, it being well-positioned at the crossroads, connecting the west to the east and potentially providing northern countries - first Russia, then the Soviet Union, and now the various "-istans" - with access to the Arabian Sea. As such, starting with the Aryan people in 1500 B.C., it has been invaded often - by the Persians in the sixth century B.C., by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., then by Kushans of central and southern Asia. The Kushans were defeated and replaced by the White Huns in the fifth century. The Arabs came in the sixth century, and were followed by Turkic-speaking people in the 10th century. Genghis Khan and his Mongols came through in the 13th century. From the mid 16th century to the early 18th century Afghanistan was host to wars between Persian Safavids and Mughals from India.
Contemporary Afghanistan only came into being in 1747, when Ahmad Shah Abdali united the Afghan tribes in a confederacy. But by 1819, the tribes were back at war. They were united again in 1826 under the leadership of Dost Muhammad Khan, whose family continued to reign until 1973.
Afghanistan's role acquired global significance beginning in the late 19th century, as Britain and Russia battled over control of Central Asia. Amazingly, the seeds for the current conflict can be traced back more than a century to this political struggle. Britain wanted to thwart Russia from gaining access to the Arabian Sea and threatening its hegemony over India. British tacticians saw two possible options - control Afghanistan, or else make sure it is inaccessible to anyone else.
The first stage of this struggle would establish Afghanistan's reputation as a graveyard for foreign invaders. The British tried to occupy Afghanistan first in the war of 1839-1842, called the first Anglo-Afghan war, and again in the second Anglo-Afghan war in 1878. When military tactics failed, Britain turned to political tactics, recognized Abdur Rahman Khan's authority over the country and stealthily overtook Afghan foreign relations. They then proceeded to catalyze Afghanistan's isolationist strategy, which would keep foreigners out and allow the country to maintain its independence - but concurrently kept the positive influence of modern technology and science away.
Internal strife continued from 1919 and through World War II, with several monarchs forced off the throne under sometimes religious, sometimes military pressure. Following the War, in which Afghanistan had no active role, and with British pressure all but gone, the country chose to begin opening up to external influence. This marked Afghanistan's transition from a buffer, limiting access across its lands, to a gateway - facilitating access through the country.
Related Research Paper Topic Suggestions
Afghan Civil War - A research paper on the Afghan Civil War discusses the ongoing conflict that has been waged in Afghanistan since the late 1970s.
Afghanistan - Afghanistan Research Papers explore the political and military climate of the country and examine the United States' military presence in the region.
Arab Americans - Research papers on Arab Americans look into the Arab identity of Americans with connections to countries including Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates, among many others.
Biblical Archeology - Biblical Archeology research papers examine the subset of archeology that seeks artifacts and information from ancient civilizations that illuminate the time and culture of when the Bible was written.
Economics of Asia - Economy in Modern Asia Research Papers deal with the economic growth of this region.
Geography of Afghanistan - Geography of Afghanistan Research Papers look at prominent features of this land, and its neighboring countries.
Hmong Culture - Hmong Culture research papers discuss the ethnic group found in several Asian nations, originally believed to have come from the Yangtze River in China.
Kurdish People - Kurdish People Research Papers look at where they live, their culture, and the relationship between the Kurds and the Middle East.
Lebanon - Research papers on Lebanon discuss a country in the Middle East that is an ancient land full of history and heartbreak.
Middle East - How to write a research paper on the history of the Middle East with Paper Masters.
Middle East Geography - Middle East Geography Research Papers look at the physical and human geographical endowment compared to other regions.
Modern Middle East - Research papers on modern Middle East examine the changes taken place in the middle east throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Opium Production In Afghanistan - Opium Production in Afghanistan Research Papers discuss the background on opium production and the Afghan's government response.
Philistines - Philistines Research Paper explores one of the most despised groups in history, and how their civilization began.
Singapore Trade - Singapore Trade Research Papers look at the newly industrialized country as one of the busiest ports in the world and discusses their imports and exports.
Taliban - Research papers on the Taliban discuss the Sunni Islamic fundamentalist movement, also known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Turkey - Turkey Research Papers look at an example of a paper order placed on the physical characteristics and history of the country's land.
Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response - What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response Research Papers delve into how to write research with specific guidelines.