Afghanistan articles Flashcards
From what time was the Golden Age of Afghanistan happening?
1930-1960 (1964-1974 for Thomas E Gouttierre, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the Univerity of Nebraska, Omaha)
Why do American’s call Afghanistan ungovernable?
When they want to not engage in a conflict
“Overnight Experts” define
People who have never been to Afghanistan or even read a book or two about it, but declare themselves experts on topics of ethnicities, tribal issues and history, most likely broadcasting this “knowledge” on TV channels
When was the president killed? What was his name? How did he die?
He was killed in 1979. His name was Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan. Killed in a communist coup, setting off three decades of conflict
When did the soviets invade, how long did they stay? Who took over and when did they get over thrown?
Soviets invaded in 1979, stayed for 10 years, taken over by the Taliban in 1996, overthrown in 2001
Who left, giving up resources and what were they?
The educated elite left, taking away foreign aid from Washington and Moscow of electricity, dams, and irrigation while a “young Parliament was trying out a fledging democracy” (precarious state of government).
People’s views on how governable Afghanistan is?
American thinks: Our enemies try to convince us that Afghanistan is governable, because that’s what they’re trying to do
Another American: Afghanistan is governable, but to what extent? To what extent can we push our system of governing on these people and it still works?
What did American’s try doing to help Afghanistan?
Focus more on the provinces that are typically owned by warlords instead of focusing on the weak, central Afghanistan government.
What was the U.S.’s primary reason for invading Afghanistan in 2001? How did this align with the goals of Operation Enduring Freedom?
A response to the 9/11 attack, targeting terrorist groups and the Taliban in Afghanistan. This aligned with the goals of Operation Enduring Freedom because when the president demanded for the Al Qaeda leaders to be turned over, and the Taliban refused, the Taliban were now part of the problem, and not on the US’s side anymore, so therefore they had to be included in the enemies side, and attacked.
Summarize the reasons President Biden gave for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan.
US has accomplished its mission in telling terrorists that they were not safe to stay in Afghanistan, after 20 years of war with no change to Afghan government, that the US would be unable to transform Afghanistan into a modern, stable democracy.
What challenges did the Afghan government face that led to its collapse despite U.S. support?
During the time of the collapse of the Afghanistan Government, there was lots of corruption, with hundreds of millions of dollars stolen. Because of the lack of money, the government wasn’t able to meet the basic needs of the citizens, thus leading to authority disappearing when you exited the major cities.
Explain how the Taliban regained power after 20 years of U.S. occupation.
As the United States focused more on the war in Iraq, the Taliban was able to rebuild it’s militia, and regain power over the failing Afghan government, with a few military successes and surrenders from government leaders, they were saw as the new rulers, and therefore more respected.
The article discusses the struggles faced by Afghan civilians under Taliban rule, including restrictions on women and attacks on journalists. How might these conditions impact everyday life for people in Afghanistan?
This might highlight the differences between how women and men will get to live their life under Taliban rule, and will most likely highlight the sexism that the Taliban is enforcing. The journalists being attacked will prevent people from reporting about their situation and gathering support from others for their situation, as well as making it hard for citizens to get access to information on the outside world.
The U.S. withdrawal left many Afghans, including allies, in danger. What challenges might people face when they are forced to leave their homeland?
When people are forced to leave their homeland, they may or may not have planned on where they would like to go, so there will be complications getting to a safer spot. Even if they have planned an evacuation, leaving one country and entering a different one is very difficult, even when you think everything is planned and ready, so people will have to be prepared for anything, as well as being prepared for leaving what they previously knew as home and being uprooted unwillingly.
The article mentions how foreign intervention in Afghanistan often failed to address the country’s deeper issues. How do you think this long history of intervention might shape the way Afghans view outside powers or influence?
This could impact the way Afghans view outside powers or influence negatively, because all the efforts to help them have failed, or called them a lost cause. They most likely don’t trust outside powers as much as they would otherwise, because they gave up before they could have a chance at rescue. This could also impact Afghan’s decisions on where to travel to while fleeing, an already confusing and stressful process.
