Afghanistan has had a turbulent history. Having acted as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires in centuries past, and following a brief period of democracy in the twentieth century, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. This led to other countries, including the United States, becoming involved, and a long and destructive war began.
Even after the Soviets withdrew in 1989, civil war continued. In 1996, a hard-line movement called the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul, and within a couple of years their forces occupied almost all of the country.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. and its coalition allies launched a military campaign in Afghanistan in October 2001, which led to the fall of the Taliban later that year.
A conference sponsored by the United Nations and held in Bonn, Germany, in December 2001 created an interim government and established an agreement among four Afghan groups (excluding the Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, an Islamist party) to restore stability and build a permanent government. A new constitution was ratified in January 2004, and in October 2004, Afghanistan held its first national democratic presidential election. More than 8 million Afghans voted, more than 40% of whom were women.
Yet the situation in Afghanistan remains fragile. A decade after the international intervention there, the country faces considerable obstacles to stability. 2010 marked the deadliest year on record for Afghans and international forces, with more casualties in the first nine months of the year than in the entirety of 2009. Efforts to guarantee stability continue to be undermined by the Taliban-led insurgency that has access to safe-havens in Pakistan. President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated for his second term in November 2009 following a highly contested election, and the U.S. and others continue to work with the Afghan government and other partners to combat corruption and strengthen state security and governance institutions.
Violent conflict persists in parts of Afghanistan and the U.S. maintains a military presence there, which will continue to draw down with a transition to a lead role by Afghanistan’s own forces by December 2014. Concerns about the international community’s long-term commitment to Afghanistan following the transition to Afghan security lead in 2014 are central to current dialogue and decision-making, as are the impending 2014 national elections.
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