The past, present & future of Afghanistan & What should be India's approach?

In this episode we conversed breifly about the history of afghanistan and its bleak future ahead.

History has seen that no foreign power has been successful in acquiring Afghanistan. The strategic location of the country is its biggest strength. "It is a doorway to Central, middle-east and south-east Asia"

In the 19th century the Barakzai dynasty gained control over Kabul. The growing rivalry between the expanding british and soviets complicated the geopolitics. :The Great Game" influenced the politics of Afghanistan to great extent.

Habibullah Khan, came to the throne in 1901 and kept Afghanistan neutral during World War I.

Charges of corruption against the royal family and poor economic conditions created by the severe 1971–72 drought, former Prime Minister Mohammad Sardar Daoud Khan seized power in a non-violent coup on July 17, 1973 but even this government could not remain in power for long as in April 1978, Nur Mohammad Taraki, Babrak Karmal and Amin Taha overthrew the government of Mohammad Daoud, who was assassinated along with all his family members in a bloody military coup with the help of Soviet Union.

But the government in power refused to become a puppet government of soviets which infuriated the soviets. But the government in power was becomimg unpopular among the citizens because of its liberalist approach. This gave foreign powers to interfere in its regime

Soviets complete takeover of the Afghanistan infuriated the world and many countries like pakistan, saudi arabia etc started giving backing to small militias which later became taliban.

9 September 2001 about 3,000 people became victims of the September 11 attacks in the United States, and it marked the official entry of USA in Afghanistan.

USA might have won the tentative war but it lost the bigger war the moment it announced hasty withdrawal of American troops.

With US out of Afghanistan many contenders have emerged including China and Russia. But with shifting powers in Afghanistan the situation of the natives is worsening.

The power struggle has united the long foes Russia and US to some extent.

The stance of India is yet to be deciphered but one thing is very clear that if Taliban is able to quinch kabul it would lead to unexplained violence and bloodshed in the whole region.