Afghanistan: The Basin of Problems

There seems to be no other country in the world which does not face the multitude of problems as Afghanistan. For the past 30 years Afghanistan has been engulfed in war, causing enormous civil unrest and great destabilizing the country. The beginingof Afghanistan's recent problems can arguably be said to have started in 1973, when the king of Afghanistan Zahir Shan, who presided over a period of stablity and peace in the country, was overthrown in a coup by his cousin Daoud Khan who declared Afghanistan a republic. In 1978, Daoud himself was overthrown during a revolt which saw the rise of a communist regime. This new government immediately faced resistance from rebel groups known as the mujahideen. The government appealed to its ally, the Soviet Union who sent soldiers into Afghanistan in 1979 to bolster the regime. After over 10 years of war with the CIA-backedmujahideen, the Soviets withdrew from the country in 1989, leaving a growing civil war between factions of Afghan groups. Fighting continued until 1996 when the Taliban took control of the country.  After the US led invasion in 2001, war has continued to plaque the nation as an insurgent Taliban fights against the government and Allied forces. Despite the progress which has been made under the more democratic government, such as extending more rights to women, the country still faces more troubles which can lead to further weakening the country. The Taliban are fighting a guerrilla war against US forces, using a variety of methods from suicide bombing to RPGs to weaken our armies there. The Taliban is also engaged in a campaign of intimidating the the population by threatening those who collaborate with the government or Allied forces. Because of such widespread fighting, the nations economy has suffered terribly, leading to an increase in poverty. The government has little authority outside of cities, making it harder to establish a relationship with its people. Afghans are also dissatisfied with rampant corruption within the government. Another serious problem is the rampant heroin trade in Afghanistan. Produced from poppies, the trade of heroin is used by the Taliban to finance their campaign. The US and its allies have waged a war on drugs against this trade, but problems make it difficult. Afghan farmers, already living impoverished life's, have found that it is profitable for them to farm poppies for the Taliban. This economic dependency makes it difficult for the US to ensure the eradication of the drug trade.