Afghanistan’s Rocky Relationships
Afghanistan has had an up and down relationship with many of its neighbors, including close-by countries with similar ideals and from nations across the world like the United States. They have had a rough time developing as a country, from being resource poor or having extreme neighbors.
Cold War
Afghanistan, in the beginning of the Cold War, did not want to align itself with Russia or the United States, and wanted to stay neutral. Later on, fearing a Russian invasion, Afghanistan wanted a treaty from the United States for protection, but the United States did not accept. Afghanistan then aligned with Russia for weapons and financial supports.
Afghanistan has had an up and down relationship with many of its neighbors, including close-by countries with similar ideals and from nations across the world like the United States. They have had a rough time developing as a country, from being resource poor or having extreme neighbors.
Cold War
Afghanistan, in the beginning of the Cold War, did not want to align itself with Russia or the United States, and wanted to stay neutral. Later on, fearing a Russian invasion, Afghanistan wanted a treaty from the United States for protection, but the United States did not accept. Afghanistan then aligned with Russia for weapons and financial supports.
Russian Invasion
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 for many reasons, including spreading communism and gathering resources. Russia gave Afghanistan over $800 million USD during the invasion, and helped rebuild their military. There were some attacks on the Russian soldiers by Afghanistan extremists, but not many. The Soviet Forces left Afghanistan in 1989, on mostly peaceful terms. Post 9/11 Afghanistan’s neighbors, and the world, had hope 9/11 would create an accelerated effort to achieve peace in the Middle East, but there has not been much progress. There have been rumors of countries attempting to destabilize and topple Afghanistan’s government, but nothing has been confirmed. The US has been more interested in finding terrorists inside Afghanistan since then. |
United States
There has been a neutral relationship between the United States and Afghanistan. After the US declined to help during the Cold War, they stayed away from Afghanistan. After the Russian invasion, the US became more interested in all of the Middle East. Now, Afghanistan claims that working with the United States is a needed step in their rebuild. |
Pakistan and Iran
These neighboring countries of Afghanistan have had multiple conflicts, whether based on resources or culture. Now, however, these countries have decided that a financially stable and strong neighbor would be more helpful than a struggling to survive wasteland. Bonn Conference Bonn was a group created to help Afghanistan survive independently and stabilize their government and economy. Bonn was formed from many international countries, hoping for diversity. They also attempted to finance Afghanistan’s humanitarian activities and tried to promote culture. Bonn did not last long because of costs and not enough interest. |