War in Afghanistan

Definition of conflict

A conflict may be defined as the state of discord that is caused by perceived or actual opposition of values, needs or interests. It is a broad term that encompasses revolutions, invasions, wars or other struggles (for territory, resources or power) and essentially involves the use of force for the achievement of objective.
A conflict arises as a result of mutual incompatibility and subsequent expression of disagreement between the parties in the dispute over an important resource or agenda (Nicholson, 1992). The nature of the conflict is determined by the perspective of the people involved in the conflict. Though these perspectives may or may not be supported by independent evidence. It also depends to a large extend on the behaviour of the parties involved in the dispute that can potentially lead to war. Violence is one such behaviour of the parties. The definition of a war or conflict can easily be extended from specific individuals, to groups (which may be tribal, racial, ethnic or religious) or nation states as such. A conflict may involve two or more than two parties to the dispute. However, the principles of the conflict irrespective of the number of the parties to it remain the same.
Causes and conditions of the conflicts
The process or structure of conflicts or wars is effectively the same, whether it occurs between groups, individuals or nation states. The root causes of the conflict include among other aspects the structure or organisation of the society that indulges in the war (Blainey and Geoffrey, 1973).
Conflict behaviour is an essential aspect in the understanding of the underlying conditions and causes of the majority of international conflicts, wars or invasions. Warring parties usually portray wars or conflicts as a quintessential part of the social field.
Sufficient and necessary causes of conflict
Conflicts and wars are caused by a number of factors and conditions that are mostly interrelated to each other. A contrasting structure of the expectations is one such cause of conflicts. This structure is to a large extent dependent on the balance of power occurring between the states or parties (Healy, Brian and Arthur Stein, 1973). This balance is however susceptible to shift or tilt towards one or the other state at any point of time. The prime cause of the conflict is however not the balance of power, but the aggravation of the perception of this power shift usually by the factors such as cognitive imbalance and socio-cultural or religious dissimilarity. This potentially leads to the incongruence of the expectations, which creates conflict situation through demonstrations, friction, anti-foreign riots and heightened strain between the relations between the countries. It increases the hostility between the countries, enhancing the status of relations from disruption to conflict eruption, which then manifests into open confrontation. The incongruence or interruption is one of the key factors leading to various forms of the state conflict behaviour including stalling of communication channels, sanctions or complete invasion. There is a considerable role of other factors in the eruption of a conflict these include among others, the degree of distinction between two rival states with respect to the differences in the socio-cultural space, which effectively mirror the differences and distinctions of national capabilities and interests. These distinctions become a source of measurement of the relative positions of the states in regards to their values, meanings, class, status and norms.
Necessary causes
Mutual awareness is yet another vital cause of the inter-state conflict that leads to the contact or salience between the two nations.
Additionally, perceptions and expectations of the rival countries with respect to each other play a critical role in the conflict outbreak. Situational content of perceptions depend to a large extend upon the actor state. When the structure of perceptions and expectations are unjust, wrong, and completely inconsistent with the balance of power of the countries, the countries try to alter these conditions or expectations in their favour, which essentially leads to major conflict.
Willingness of states to confront the other country is also a critical causal factor in the development of conflict situation and subsequent outbreak of the conflict. If the two parties to the dispute lack the willingness of confronting each other, there is less chance of the conflict taking place in such a situation.
The expectations of victory and the subjective assessment of the losses and gains in case of a conflict taking place, is also a necessary factor which leads to the increment in the willingness of a country to confront the other country or simply willingness to undertake complete military invasion of the other country. It involves defying the international rules and regulations regarding the safeguarding the sovereignty of a state and engaging the other country and invading the other state or simply provoking an economically well-off state into aggression in order to force concessions from that state on being attacked with the help of international community.
Disruption of status pro quo is yet another vital cause of most of the contemporary conflicts. Status quo essentially defines the territorial extent and ideological perspective of states. It lies at the core of the perceptions and expectations of a state and any disruption of this state (of status quo) effectively means disruption of the expectations of the state and hence warrants necessary retaliatory action which usually includes violence and war/confrontation.
There are other causative factors of the war besides those underlined above. These include the situations when a state is perceived to be or actually happens to be totalitarian or dictatorial /authoritarian. There is far lesser chance of a conflict or war occurring between two liberal democratic states, owing to the domestic constraints, libertarian bonds and other such cross pressures, which make it difficult for such countries to justify violence to their citizens (to whom they are answerable and accountable). It is not the case with the dictatorial states, which rule their own people with an iron fist and use violence as the primary weapon to maintain order.
Sufficient causes It refers to the causes, the occurrence of which directly leads to the conflict. It is caused by the balance of power in favour of one or the other state instead of the condition of equilibrium. It has a dual effect, producing the situation of conflict that is manifested in the form of hostility between the nation states and coolness in the relations between the two countries. The interstate relations though apparently remain intact; the pot of hostilities remains boiling beneath the apparent calm. It causes a necessary shift in the development of subsequent conflict behaviour, which is a direct measure of the degree of confrontation between the two states at the later stages.
Aggravating conditions of the conflict
These conditions lead to the worsening of the conflict. Socio-religious or socio-cultural dissimilarities are the prime conditions leading to the escalation of the conflict. It leads to the deterioration of the situation by aggravating the communications between the warring parties. On the other hand, cognitive imbalance potentially leads to the circumstances for miscommunication or misperception, which lead to the aggravation of the conflict.
Overall difference of rank or status between the warring parties can make significant aggravation in a conflict.A civil war is in fact a clear example where the situation aggravates due to injustice and unequal distribution of resources or power takes place with respect to the rank or position of individuals or specific communities, aggravating the situation to the extent of chaos and anarchy in the socio-political and administrative systems. Status considerations are interjected into the conflict owing to the differences in the power, prestige or wealth of different individuals or states for that matter. It makes the conflict even more difficult to get resolved.
Coercive power of nation states that are militarily and economically powerful also lead to aggravation of conflicts in which they are involved directly (by being a party to the conflict) or indirectly (being a mediator between the warring sides and manipulating the conflict in its favour). Such relatively powerful states have high military ambitions of maintaining their reputation and the status as global power as well as promoting their agenda in different regions of the world so as to get ready access to the resources necessary for maintaining their powerful status (Ferris and Wayne, 1973).
There are other conditions that specifically aggravate only certain kinds and certain phases of the conflict. These include cross-pressures. These conditions make the situation more uncertain and increase the violent behaviour though only slightly.
The intervention of a state that is coercive may also aggravate the situation though unintentionally, by asking the warring parties to maintain status quo (which not only raises the stakes in the dispute but becomes the reason for the future disputes as well). Thus greater resources are injected for confrontation into the conflict.
The issue of credibility and honour represent two additional factors that lead to the escalation of conflict in most of the cases. If the leadership of the warring states perceives that the self-esteem or honour of the nation is at stake in the conflict and they succeed in motivating their armies regarding the same perception, there is every likelihood that the conflict will escalate and the chances of the conflict getting resolved will get bleaker by the day.
The apparent weakness or strength of the status quo is also a critical factor that may lead to the aggravation of the confrontation. The status quo is likely to remain stable as long as the major benefactor of the status quo is a powerful state. If the strength of the major benefactor wanes and the balance of power changes in the favour of the state other than the major benefactor, that state will make attempts to change the status quo condition into its favour, which may start from a minor confrontation and end up in a major conflict or a full-blooded war in the future.
Polarity is one of the most significant aggravators of the conflicts that aggravate the amount of violence as well as conflict behaviour between the warring states. If the warring states belong to two different International power systems, belonging to conflicting ideological systems where power is a highly centralised issue the conflict escalates and leads to extreme violence. This factor makes a minor conflict a matter of status quo of power among the superpowers of the international order (M.Nicholson, 1992).
In the case of polarity, the coercive power parity between the power blocs and the belief in success by both states particularly escalates the conflict into the inferno.
Class conflict is another of the factors that enhance the stakes of the conflict which effectively becomes the struggle for power and privileges (Harf et. al., 1974). In case of a status quo, the major benefactor becomes the super ordinate class having exclusive benefits, privileges, and rights in the international power arena while as the nation that does not benefit substantially from the status quo becomes the subordinate making the conflict and subsequent status quo a matter of position, power and privileges and rendering the status quo susceptible to realignment and aggravating the conflict to even higher levels.
Trigger causes of the conflict
The conflicts, whatever the underlying causes they have, are often triggered by certain causes such as the perception of threat, opportunity or injustice by one or the both parties of the dispute. The perception of threat includes exposure or simply perception of an assassination plot of a leader or prominent figure of one nation that is carried out or financed by the other, discovery of or perception of development of a secret and highly dangerous weapon by either of the two parties or declaration of an alliance of a state with the enemy state of the other nation. The opportunity involves display of an act of weakness by the rival country such as enforcement of coup de etat by the military of that country, breaking out of rebellion or mutiny or creation of power vacuum due to some reasons. The perception of injustice involves an act of terrorism carried out by other country on the people of the other or illegal occupation of a part of land of one state by the other.

References
Blainey, G. (1973): The Causes of War. New York: The Free Press,.
Ferris, W.H. (1973).The Power Capabilities of Nation-States: International Conflict and War. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books,.
Harf, J.E., Hoovler D.G., James T.E.(1974)."Systemic and external attributes in foreign policy analysis," in James N. Rosenau (Ed.), Comparing Foreign Policies: Theories, Findings, and Methods. New York: Halsted Press, 235-249.
Brian, H. and Stein, A. (1973). "The balance of power in international history." The Journal of Conflict Resolution, 17:33-61.
Nicholson, M. (1992). Rationality and the Analysis of International Conflict (pp11).

Afghanistan has remained in the state of conflict for most of the twentieth century. The aggressive nature of Afghans, coupled with the complete decentralization of power in the form of feudal states ensured ethnic conflicts before the soviet invasion and subsequent civil war. The main war began in response to terrorist attack on 11 September 2001 on United States of America.
Reasons of conflict:
In 1992, when there was a fall of communist government in Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of soviet from afghan in 1989, there was a prolonged civil war that raged in between the several groups of anti-communist fighters in afghan, who entitled themselves as the Mujahedeen.
And hence, in this pandemonium area, some former members of the group called as Mujahedeen bring into being a leader in their own group, known as Mullah Mohammad Omar. In Islamic context, a Mullah is referred as a religious Islamic leader. Later on, after the descend of the communist rule, a former fighter of Mujahedeen or the Pashtun ethnic group made a comeback to his home village and led to the creation of new armed party known as the Taliban. The name Taliban given to the party originally means ‘students’. And most of the recruits that were working under the omar’s movement were religious Islamic students. As the creation of this new party worked on imposing Islamic law and order on the country, the former leaders of Mujahedeen from ‘Pashtun’ background tied up with the Taliban. According to the Taliban, the specific law that was required to impose on the Afghanistan was the Islamic law in its extreme version. In this law imposed by Taliban, Women were confined to their homes and were not permitted to attend school or work outside. Men were expected to be present at religious services often and grow beards. There was a ban on television and the religious minorities in the country such as Christian, Hindus, etc were asked to put on some particular clothes that reveal their identity. And also, the Taliban ordered the demolition of all non-Islamic statues and idols that were under their control in the year 2001. The al-Qaida organization run by Osama bin laden also got influenced by this group and offered his support to them.
In 1994, the local warlords of the country was attacked and defeated by Taliban and due to this particular reason they began to congregate a name for order and success on military forces. And keeping this success of Taliban in mind, Pakistan also offered them a helping hand, to some extent as a process of establishing a friendly and stable government in the capital city of the country. The ongoing fight between the armies of former mujahedeen caused exodus of a large number of people to flee to the bordered area of Pakistan and get in the way with the trade in Pakistan. After that, in the late era of 1994, the new armed group renowned as Taliban acquired Kandahar, taking control over the immense supply of modern weapons, which include helicopters, fighter aircrafts and tanks. Later on, the Kabul was approached by Taliban in January 1995.
After that, in September of 1996, until they invade Kabul, the Taliban made an effort to battle against various warlords and militias, ultimately conquering them all. In the country, there were various anti- Taliban activists and their forces, which made away to the northern part of the country, in order to keep on fight in opposition to the Taliban group. Ahmad shah Massoud was one of warlords or leaders of anti- Taliban group.
In 1999, after the lost of Kabul, the forces of Ahmad shah Massoud stayed in the range of armed areas of the capital city, which was regularly attacked by him. Subsequent to his pullout from the capital city, Iran and Russia start sending military supplies to Massoud, as both the countries where scared by the mounting power of the Taliban. As Russia had a tough fight against the Muslim rebels in its Chechnya area, Moscow got panicked by Taliban as there was a possibility that Taliban may act as source of support and aid for the revolt it has fought in the area of Tajikistan and Chechnya. On the other side, Shiite Islamic fundamentalists dominated Iran and these fundamentalists had a rivalry with the Sunni Muslims of Taliban, as a reason for bad treatment of minority of afghan Shiite known as Hazaris.
In year, 1997, Taliban was renowned as the justifiable government of Afghanistan by United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The role of Pakistan in the victory of Taliban has been a matter of controversy as armed Pakistani intervention is generally regarded as the attributive factor towards Taliban’s military victories.
In this particular year, Taliban seized Mazar-i- sharif, which resulted in the regions Shiite Hazari minority to become hostile towards Taliban and made the warlord, General Malik to end his alliance with them. The ending up of this dalliance resulted in the capture of nearly 3000 Taliban soldiers by Hazaris and General Malik. In august 1998, the Mazar-i-Sharif was retaken by Taliban and suddenly massacred nearly 2000 Hazaris. This massacre also included diplomat citizen of Iran, killing of those almost led to the war against the Iran and Taliban. As these crises continued to take on heights, Iran sends almost 250,000 troops to the border between Iran and Afghanistan. During the course of Taliban’s rule, united front or northern alliance forces, which were fighting Taliban, were being supplied with ammunition and imparted training by Iran. The Shiite Hazaris run by Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, the former president Rabbani’s Tajik troops and general Dostrum’s Uzbek forces comprises the northern alliance.
In year 1998, subsequent to the American embassies terrorist bombing in Africa, a cruise missile attack was launched on the training camps that belonged to the Osama bin laden’s al-Qaida organization. In the autumn of 2001, there was an ongoing pressure to the northern alliance by Taliban, mostly by the assistance of the al-Qaida organization and the forces of Arab. Later on, in this year there was a assassination of Ahmad shah Massoud, the leader of northern alliance by the two Arab men that posed as journalists. And in respond to the killing of Massoud’s killing, the northern alliance made an aerial attack on the capital city during 11 September night. The United States of America blamed Osama bin laden and al-Qaida for these attacks and started to initiate fight to the al-Qaida group and the sponsors of Taliban. This thing led to the beginning of the war, referred as global war on terror.
Conflict description:
In 2001, October 7, the war in Afghanistan came into existence with the allied air strikes over the al-Qaida targets and Taliban. In order to overthrow Taliban, British, America and the troops of other allied special forces worked as a military offensive under northern alliance. This coalition among the northern alliance and special allies led to the synchronization between the ground attacks and allied attacks by the northern alliance. And hence, in Nov 13, 2001, these attacks escorts in the fall of the capital city, Kabul, as in most parts of the Afghanistan recreation of Afghanistan took place.
As later on, this war was accompanied by more allied troops, the northern alliance forces gave a tough fight to the al-Qaida and Taliban; therefore this made them to shift to the mountainous border area that connects Afghanistan and Pakistan with each other. Later than from 2001, Taliban began to focus on survival and upgrading their forces. And from the year of 2005 to the winter of 2007, there was an increase in the attacks of Taliban, as they made use of suicide bombers and applied other tactics from the war of Iraq.
In 2007, 27 February, an obvious attempt was made by the insurgents of Taliban, on a tactful trip to the Afghanistan, in which Cheney was claimed to be the target. Bagram air base checkpoint outside of Kabul was blown up by a suicide bomber, which killed 20 people, comprising one American soldier. In the particular attack, Cheney remained unhurt.
In 2008, during the spring and summer seasons, the ongoing violence in afghan led to the coalition of more foreign troops that died in the concurrent war of Iran. While enjoying sturdy bases in Pakistan, the Taliban also enjoyed resurgence. In mid- august, Taliban made one of the deadliest attacks on French troops, with a power of almost 100 Taliban trapping French forces next to Kabul. This attack killed 10 French troops and wounded 21. This particular day, also encounter an attack on the American base alongside the border of Pakistan by a squad of suicide bombers.
Due to this, the new administration of Obama called for a noteworthy increase in the size of the presence of American military in Afghanistan and European allies are waiting from president Obama to force to supply more troops to northern alliance as well.

What led to the war in Afghanistan?
The war in Afghanistan heralds the first large scale conflict that took place in the 21st century. The roots of the war go back to the Soviet Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan during the period of 1970’s and 1980’s and the ongoing Afghan Civil War. The civil war led to the division of society into groups and tribes having conflicting interest, thereby causing social disorganization and political failure. After Soviet Union left Afghanistan, the Islamic powers thought that they can fight and defeat the remaining superpower of US. The Soviets were defeated in the Afghan desert; therefore, they planned to use the same location for the US as well. They used the same proxy i.e. Taliban and al-Qaeda to perform a series of attacks culminating with the 9/11, thinking that US would also fall in the Afghan trap. The present war began in October, 2001 as a result of September 11, 2001 attacks on the US. The main motive of the war was to destroy al Qaeda, capture Bin Laden and put an end to the Taliban regime.
History:
Located between the central and South Asia, Afghanistan has been has always been prone to the machinations of the most powerful forces for their interests. The Communist coup de etat in 1978, the Soviet assault in 1979 and the war against Soviet invasion is responsible for making what Afghanistan is today. Among all the cycles of violence, the Soviet war has led to the country’s major devastation, initiated huge outflows of the refugees and destroyed the country’s brainpower.
After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 and the demolition of the Afghan Communist Government in 1992, a civil war came into being between the various factions of anti-communist fighters of Afghanistan. They entitled themselves as Mujahdeen. Amidst all the chaos, some earlier Mujahideen found Mullah Omar as their leader and led to the formation of a new armed group- Taliban. Taliban means student and many of the members of Mullah Omar’s group were Islamic religious students. This group aimed at imposing their own version of Islamic law and order. Under this law, women were not allowed to come out of their homes or attend schools without a related male guardian after the age of eight. Television was banned and religious minorities were asked to wear different clothing so that they could be identified. Public beatings were carried out for people who did not obey the enforced laws. They also ordered the destruction of all the non-Islamic idols and statues in the areas that they controlled. Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization also supported them by aiding then financially. Bin Laden had also been supporting various militia groups financially during the Soviet war.
In 1994, the Taliban defeated the local warlords and gained reputation for order and military success. In the same year they got control of Kandahar, which helped them acquire a large supply of latest weapons that included tanks, helicopters and aircrafts. In 1995, Taliban began to move towards Kabul. The growing power of Taliban made several anti-Taliban leaders to flee toward the northern parts of the country; however, they did not stop fighting them, Ahmed Shah Massoud being one of them.
In 1996 Osama Bin Laden returned to Afghanistan after fleeing from Saudi Arabia and Sudan and allegedly used the country’s base to plan and finance attacks on a global level.
In 1997, Taliban was recognized as the legitimate government of Afghanistan by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates.
With the increasing attacks on the US embassies from the Islamic terrorist groups and the US attention was drawn towards attacking the bases suspected of belonging to Afghanistan in 1998.
By 2001, Taliban continued to pressurize the Northern Alliance, usually with the help of Osama Bin Laden and his Arab forces.
War Description:
The Afghanistan war started on October 7, 2001 following the allied air strikes on Taliban and al –Qaeda targets. On land, American, British and other special troops in association with the Northern Alliance worked together to begin a military operation to put an end to the Taliban. The working of the Northern Alliance and the Allies together resulted in the co-ordination of the air forces. This led to the Taliban retreat from the major part of Afghanistan and finally in the decline of Kabul on 13th of November, 2001.
After the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the US government immediately identified Osama bin Laden as the main culprit behind the attacks and claimed that the Taliban was emerging as a source of support for Bin Laden and was refusing to hand him over. As a result they launched a series of aerial and ground attacks on the suspected al-Qaeda bases, which were under the Taliban control.
With more allied troops entering the war and the Northern Alliance forces moved southwards, the Taliban and al-Qaeda retreated further towards the mountainous border linking Afghanistan and Pakistan. The year 200 onwards, Taliban has drawn its attention towards its survival and rebuilding of forces. From the year 2005 till 2007, Taliban increased its attacks and is using the suicide bombers and other war tactics to counter the US troops.
On 27th of February, 2007, there was an apparent assassination attack on Cheney who was on a diplomatic trip to Afghanistan. A suicide bomber blew up the Bagram Air Base on the outskirts of Kabul, killing 20 people.
In 2008, the Afghan war claimed the lives of more coalition troops than those who died in Iraq war. One of the major attacks was the one done on French forces near Kabul.
The present administration of Obama has called for increasing size of the American forces in Afghanistan significantly. The European Allies are also expecting President Obama to force them to provide more troops.
Other causes that led to the war in Afghanistan are: * The first factor that contributed to the initiation of the Afghan war was the corrupt and inefficient government run by the kings of the country. They did not contribute much to the development and progress if the country. * The second factor is the association of India with the affairs of Afghanistan. India had a hand in misguiding the people of Afghanistan in many matters. India was responsible for creating a setback to Afghanistan’s co-operation with the rest of the countries, increased lawlessness in the country and got Afghanistan close to Russia. It also promoted the growth of drugs and smuggling through the adjoining countries. * Another reason that worsened the situation of Afghanistan even more was their prolonged war for independence that was started by its freedom fighters way back in 1979. This war was a consequence of the Russian dominion over Afghanistan. * Another major reason that led to the war in Afghanistan was its poverty, lack of education and inequality among people. Most of the people living in Afghanistan are extremely poor and have a very low standard of living. However, the people who were well of economically included the rich property owners and drug smugglers lived in great luxury and comfort leading to a anger and uneasiness among the poor. * Providing al-Qaeda training facilities and refugee camps in the country was another reason for the war outbreak in the country. The West especially America considered it the reason for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the rest of the attacks. * Strategic location of Afghanistan was another reason that led to the country’s invasion. Its proximity to the oil fields of Iran and Balkan states, such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan etc. as well as to the shores of Arabian sea via Pakistan was a tempting opportunity for US led NATO countries to establish a government that could fulfill their interests by enforcing their agenda and increasing their sphere of influence into these oil rich nations which were largely under Russian influence.
War Aftermath:
Afghanistan has been used as a battleground for strategic wars by the greater external powers. This is because of its geographical position. Moreover, the fragmented nature of the society of Afghanistan is made up of a variety of Ethnic groups that has given rise to a number of internal conflicts, which are fueled further by the external powers. Amid the ongoing war, Afghanistan is struggling to rebuild itself despite the huge amount of money that has been provided to the country. The government has failed to exercise control or get into the negotiations with the Taliban. In return, Taliban has also shown resentment to enter into any negotiations until all the foreign troops have been removed from the country. After 2001, the opium trade also got a boost and the controlling forces are not able to prevent it. There is still rampant corruption going on in all sectors of the society and there are areas that are outside the control of the government. According to the Wiki leaks reports of July 2010, it I revealed that the coalition forces have killed countless civilians in various unreported incidents.
During 2011, Taliban launched several offensive attacks that particularly targeted government officials and buildings. The attacks were carried out in Kandahar with the Taliban intending to conquer the city. These attacks were a consequence of the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden, and also show how the government of Afghanistan and the western forces are using the extremists groups and trapping the country into an unending cycle of violence.
Conclusion:
Present Afghanistan faces a lot of challenges regarding peace, security, governance and rule of law. The ever increasing insurgency is not less important than the security threats arising from growing drug trade, organized criminality, cruel warlords and local feuds. The incapacity of the government to communicate properly the reforms that it has made and disseminate the key tenets that are required for the building process of the state has made the government to have a weak grip on the local leaders and communities who could have played an important role in the overall rebuilding process of Afghanistan. The situation of Afghanistan does not seem to have any immediate remedy, and going by its complex issues and unstable governance it is most likely that more issues will come up. But, there has been a continuous and steady growth in the number of associations that are working towards the reconstruction of the civil society, and also trying to intervene in the conflicts. The position on the development of Afghanistan is changing, though very slightly, and more attention is focused on local projects as compared to external projects. The fatigue of war is felt more intensely by the people after three long decades, and it is required that a more tolerable situation is created in the country. The continuous devastation in the country from the past three decades is a witness to the strength and endurance of the people of Afghanistan and various groups who are continually working towards the reconstruction of their country. Afghanistan has given rise to many generations that have seen only war, now it’s time to turn the course. Now that the Taliban has lost its strength, it is the responsibility and moral duty of the present elected government to make efforts for the growth and development of the country. As and when the American and other allied forces leave, the government of Afghanistan should work towards raising their own armed forces to defend their fronts and cause internal peace to prevail. The UN should also play a part along with the rich and advanced Middle Eastern countries to participate in the grand developmental program of Afghanistan.
A modern and advanced Afghanistan will help in the establishment of permanent peace and fair balance of power in South Asia which would be beneficial for the entire world.
Afghanistan should build progressive links with the neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, Iran and the other Central Asian states. Establishing trade relationships with these countries will help in boosting the economy of Afghanistan. Afghanistan should concentrate on educating its masses and then look for the acquisition of knowledge and latest scientific technology from the developed countries to be at par with the recent times.