Understanding Afghanistan: History, Politics and the Economy

219 Pages·2021·4.625 MB·English

by  Abdul Qayyum Khan

UNDERSTANDING AFGHANISTAN
This book delves into the history of Afghanistan, its people, and its relationship
with its neighbors, to unravel the intricate politics and ethnolinguistic diversity
of the country.
It discusses the history of innumerable invasions which left imprints over the
country and its people and created a complex fabric of different ethnic, l inguistic,
religious, and cultural groups. The volume looks at the various empires which
warred over the land including the Persian, Greek, Mongol, and Sassanid
dynasties, as well as the later interferences by the British and the Russians
and the emergence of the Taliban. It examines the correlations between war,
power politics, religion, local governance, and the opium trade and economy
in Afghanistan. The author, through personal stories and anecdotes of his visits
and journeys in Afghanistan, provides a very rich and extensive view of Afghan
politics, culture, and history. The relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan
and Afghanistan’s unique position in the politics of the region is also a thread
which runs through the entire book.
This book will be a great resource (and of interest) to researchers and students
of politics, history, Central and South Asian Studies, war and international rela-
tions, political economy, and peace and reconciliation studies. It will also interest
journalists, diplomats, and international development organizations.
Abdul Qayyum Khan earned his PhD in Agricultural Economics from Colorado
State University and received his Master’s in Economics from Quaid-i-Azam
University in Pakistan. He has worked as a Project Director at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and New Mexico State University. He
has also worked with the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

UNDERSTANDING
AFGHANISTAN
History, Politics, and the Economy
Abdul Qayyum Khan
First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Abdul Qayyum Khan
The right of Abdul Qayyum Khan to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-72273-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05447-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-19837-6 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003198376
Typeset in Bembo
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
Dedicated to the men, women, and children of Afghanistan
and to the memories of late Oval Myers of Southern Illinois University,
Carbondale, and late Mohammad Yasin Mohsini, former Dean, Faculty of
Agriculture, Kabul University

CONTENTS
List of figures ix
Preface x
Acknowledgments xiii
Glossary xiv
Select Chronology xv
1 Ancient history of Afghanistan 1
2 Genghis Khan and his dynasty 34
3 Amir Temur and his dynasty 51
4 Rise and Fall of Durrani Dynasty 69
5 The British Interference in Afghanistan 79
6 Struggle for Independence of Afghanistan 99
7 Rise and Fall of the Communist Regime in Afghanistan 122
8 Rise and fall of Taliban 135
9 Land and people 145
10 The gorges crossed by the foreign invaders 160
viii Contents
11 Wedding ring tossed in the Oxus River 165
12 The Crossing of the Oxus River 170
13 The trio 174
14 Nauroz 179
15 The opiates economy of Afghanistan 181
Index 197
FIGURES
I.1 Gorges crossed by the foreign invaders xviii
1.1 Rivers of Pakistan 8
9.1 Agricultural Market in Mazar Sharif, Balkh 150
10.1 Salang Pass 163
15.1 Poppy Crop in Afghanistan 194