History

Determining the origins of a particular conflict is always problematic because whatever event is chosen as a starting point clearly did not occur in a vacuum. Understanding the significance of that event generally requires not only looking forward to gauge its historical impact but also looking back to appreciate the historical context in which it occurred.

In regard to the present conflict in Afghanistan, a strong case can be made for starting with the military coup of April 27, 1978. This coup, in which Afghanistan’s communist party seized power, initiated a chain of events that culminated in the conflict going on in Afghanistan today. Key events in that chain included the Soviet invasion of 1979; the arming of the mujahideen; the Soviet withdrawal; the struggle for power among mujahideen of different ethnicities; and the rise, fall, and resurgence of the Taliban.

But understanding the historical context in which the 1978 coup occurred requires knowledge of earlier events, including the “Great Game” played by the British and Russian Empires in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the border trouble with Pakistan that led the Afghan government to tilt toward the Soviet Union.