Admissions Academic Programs Current Students Faculty & Staff Alumni & Friends Athletics Student Life
New Student Orientation
AN INTRODUCTION TO AFGHANISTAN

Location
Afghanistan is landlocked with Iran lying to the West and Pakistan to the East and South.  In the North it borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, all of whom were part of the former Soviet Union.  In the far Northeast it has a very small border with China.  It has a dry climate with rugged mountains giving way to plains in the Southwest and parts of the North.

The People
There are approximately 30 million people in Afghanistan, which is slightly smaller than Texas.  They tend to identify much more closely with their tribe than the country.  The chief tribal groups are as follows:

Pashtuns (Pushtuns, Pathans)(south and east) 42 percent
Tajiks (mostly in the north)  27 percent
Hazara (central) 09 percent
Uzbeks (north) 09 percent
Other (Aimaq, Turkmen, Baloch, other) 13 percent

The Pashtuns have tended to politically dominate the country, and this is resisted by the other tribes.  Pashtu, the language of the Pashtuns, and Dari (Afghan Persian) are the official ones.  Turkic languages (Uzbek, Turkmen) and others are also used. Language further divides the country.

Religion
Religion both unites and divides the people of Afghanistan.  About 99 percent are Muslims, whose faith is Islam.  Around the world Islam is divided into two principal groups, while a third movement has also had influence in Afghanistan:

(1) Sunnis: Some 84 percent of Afghanistan’s Muslims are Sunnis. Traditionally Sunnis have along with the Quran (Islam’s holy book) emphasized tradition, the community, and reason.  Sunnis find secular or nonclerical rulers acceptable.  However, in Afghanistan for the past 200 years Sunnis have been influenced by a more fundamentalist and often anti-Western kind of Islam coming out of the religious schools (madrassas) of Pakistan and India. 

(2) Shi’ia:  The only country in which Shiites are an overwhelming majority of the population is Iran, where they make up 90 percent of the population.  Iraq has a majority of Shiites in its population, while there are substantial percentages in Bahrain, Yemen, and Lebanon.  Shi’ites are found in virtually every Islamic country and often feel they have been persecuted by the Sunni majority.  In Afghanistan most Hazara are Shi’ites and have encountered discrimination and persecution as a result.

Shi’ite political leaders are often religious leaders.  In addition to the Quran, Shi’ites follow the teachings of leaders and scholars descended from the prophet Muhammed.

(3) Wahhabism: Wahhabism is an extreme Islamic fundamentalist religious sect that came out of Saudi Arabia and was introduced into Afghanistan by Osama bin-Laden and Al-Qaida.  It had a strong impact on the Taliban and when they governed Afghanistan helped influence them to ban women from education and employment, eliminate television, kites, most music, and other activities deemed too Western and decadent.  Wahhabis do not like Shi’ites and feel they have departed from the true faith.

 A Brief Look at the History of Afghanistan
Afghanistan in ancient times was part of the Persian Empire.  Later it was conquered by Alexander the Great.  In the seventh century it came under the influence of Islam.

 In 1747 a tribal leader, Ahmad Durrani Shah, united the area and is considered the country’s founder.  Modern history begins in 1826 with the rule of Dost Muhammad.  He was skilled at keeping Britain and Russia, both of whom wanted to rule the country, from gaining total control.  This was known as the “Great Game.”

 In 1907 Britain and Russia guaranteed the independence of Afghanistan with Britain having control of its foreign affairs.  It was primarily an agreement to keep this disputed and largely tribal area out of the hands of one power or the other. In 1919 the treaty of Rawalpindi gave Afghanistan control of its foreign relations.

 From 1919 until 1978 various kings continued to govern and sought to introduce social and economic reforms.  These sometimes led to political instability and coups.  In 1978 the monarchy was overthrown and was replaced by a government with Marxist and pro-Soviet leanings.

 In September 1979, after the assassination of pro-Soviet leader Noor Muhammed Taraki, the Russians invaded and gained control of the country.  Guerrilla forces, backed by the United States, Pakistan, and China, and known as Mujahadin (Islamic Warriors), fought the Soviets.  After much destruction and devastation the Soviets withdrew their forces.  In early 1992 the Mujahadin captured Kabul, the capital city.   

Unfortunately the traditional divisions in Afghanistan surfaced rapidly, and the Mujahadin began to fight among themselves, again plunging the country into chaos.

 With support from Pakistan, and led by Mullah Mohammad Omar who had earlier fought the Soviets, the Taliban movement began to have success.  With its strength in the South and dominated by Pashtuns, the Taliban wanted to set up their idea of a pure Muslim state and rid the country of corrupt and ineffective secular rule.  Because Afghanistan had suffered violence, destruction, and division for many years, the Taliban quickly gained support.  By 1996 they seized Kabul, and by 1998 they controlled 85 to 90 percent of the country.  Only in the far Northeast were the Tajiks and Uzbeks of the Northern Alliance (The United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan) able to deny them total victory.  Most local warlords throughout the country, understanding the dominant position of the Taliban, decided to ally themselves with them. 

The Taliban, in effective control of one of the poorest country’s in the world, were the ideal hosts for Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida movement, which was dominated by wealthy Saudi Arabians and wished to rid the entire Arab and Islamic world of Western and non-Islamic influence. In return for sanctuary and approval to open terrorist training bases, the Taliban received significant amounts of cash, and their already radical, fundamentalist form of Islam was furthered moved in that direction by the Wahhabism of bin Laden and al Qaida.   

After the September 11, 2001, al-Qaida attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon the United States demanded that the Taliban turn over bin Laden and other al Qaida operatives in the country.  When the Taliban refused, the United States, with international support, launched a major military operation against Afghanistan.  Of considerable importance to the success of this mission was the fighting on the ground conducted by the Northern Alliance and various warlords who were persuaded to change sides.  After the fall of the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, Taliban resistance began to rapidly crumble.  However, small pockets of Taliban fighters remain scattered throughout the country especially in the mountains of the Northeast near the border of Pakistan.  Mullah Omar has never been captured.  American and other international forces remain in the country to help maintain security.  A new constitution for the country was written in 2003 and went into effect in 2004.

Government
Former King Zahir Shah holds the nonhereditary title of “Father of the Country,” and does preside on certain occasions, but does not have any governing power.  Political power currently rests in a Pashtun, Harmid Karzai, who was elected President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2004.  Elections for a bicameral National Assembly are planned for 2005.  On rare occasions the government can call for a meeting of a special assembly known as the Loya Jirga, which is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils.  The Loya Jirga deals with constitutional amendments and other critical matters such as sovereignty and territorial integrity.

 Economy
Although in the past couple of years Afghanistan’s economy has seen significant growth, this remains a poor country with a per capita GDP of only $800.  Unfortunately approximately one-third of the estimated (2003) 21.5 billion GDP comes from the opium/heroin trade.  The country does export natural gas and may have some significant oil reserves.  It produces hand woven carpets of very high quality along with various agricultural products.  The large number of land mines still scattered about the country are a problem for both agriculture and transportation. Afghanistan needs infrastructure.  It has no railways and lacks adequate highways, airports, and communications facilities.