Understanding Afghanistan. History and focus of the last two centuries until the rise of the Taliban in 2021

This thesis aims at providing a preliminary and broad examination of numerous characteristics of a country, which is necessary for properly comprehending its historical occurrences. Afghanistan is the country in issue, which has been at the centre of foreign politics and public opinion for more than two decades, a country rich in history and traditions but shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. The purpose of this thesis is to alleviate some of the worries that someone approaching the issue from a Western perspective (such as the undersigned) may have while discussing Afghanistan. Above all, the goal of this concept is to pull a topic so far away from us that it seems unworkable, unfriendly, and, to some, unimportant and secondary, even unworthy of our attention. The first section of this thesis provides an overview of the Nation, including its location, geographical makeup, and ethnic makeup of the Afghan people. All three are necessary components for comprehending Afghanistan's history: Its geographical location has made it, and continues to make it, a country with a strategic position that shifts the balances of neighbouring and international powers (depending on the interests at stake between the parties); the country's geography aids us not only in moving through history, distinguishing internal and external actors, but also in understanding the nature of Afghan ethnic groups, which has been modelled over millennia depending on the places where they have lived. Finally, the various and diverse ethnic groups that live in Afghanistan help us understand the dynasties, rivalries, and the difficulties that every invading foreign force has had in gaining absolute control of a nation that is frequently on the run and disunited, extremely backward and weak. The central section of the book continues the chronological journey started in the first chapter (from the birth of the Afghan nation state at the end of the 18th century to the end of the Soviet war and the fall of the Afghan Communist Party), focusing on the rise of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and the characteristics of these figures on the border between warlords and Islamic-matrix terrorists. The third and final section examines Afghanistan's history from the US and NATO-led overthrow of the Taliban rule in 2001 to the most recent events of the summer of 2021, especially the departure of US forces and the Taliban's takeover of power. Finally, an attempt is being made to determine how this change in Afghanistan can once again shift international balances, now that the world scene has changed compared to twenty years ago, the US and its allies have changed, the West's "adversaries" have changed, and the Taliban prophesy and promise to be changed, as well as his usual allies and rivals. These themes may and almost always have a geopolitical flavour to them, making them difficult to analyse and displaying signals of force and ambiguity. Indeed, the events of late August to early December 2021 sparked dissatisfaction among the general public (not only in Western countries) and thrust the Taliban and Afghanistan into the spotlight. The research material for this thesis may be separated into two categories: historical "traditional and classic" material for tracing chronologically more distant and already properly crystallized themes, and more journalistic material for reconstructing more current and yet to come elements.