Afghanistan (President McCain)

Afghanistan (officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان, Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت ), is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia. It is variously designated as geographically located within Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. It has religious, ethno-linguistic, and geographic links with most of its neighboring states. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast. The name Afghanistan means the "Land of Afghans."

Afghanistan is a culturally mixed nation, a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategical location, connecting South, Central and Southwest Asia. During its long history, the land has seen various invaders and conquerors, while on the other hand, local entities invaded the surrounding vast regions to form their own empires. Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747, with its capital at Kandahar. Subsequently, the capital was shifted to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between the British Indian Empire and Russian Empire. On August 19, 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war, the country regained full independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs.

Between the late 1970s and late 2000s Afghanistan suffered continuous and brutal civil war, which included foreign interventions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the recent 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government. In late 2001 the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This force was composed of NATO troops that were involved in assisting the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing the writ of law as well as rebuilding key infrastructures in the nation. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. In the meantime, multi-billion US dollars have also been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country.

Following the elimination of the Taliban and al-Qaeda leadership and the destruction of the majority of the Taliban movement in 2007, ISAF began focusing on humanitarian efforts to rebuild the country. As the Afghan National Army began taking over the security control of the 34 Afghan provinces, U.S. and ISAF forces began withdrawing from Afghanistan, which was completed in August-September 2008. Major combat operations was completed on May 28, 2008, and on September 15, free, democratic elections were held in Afghanistan for the first time in peacetime.

After the war, Afghanistan has become a liberal islamic presidential democracy with close ties to the United States, Europe and other Middle Eastern countries. With a relatively strong economy, political structure and military force, Afghanistan is today a major regional power.