Vermont Access Network (VAN): Afghanistan, Key to the Future of South Asia

Description

Landlocked, mountainous Afghanistan, “graveyard of empires,” lies wedged between assertive Iran and malfunctioning Pakistan. The discordance between Afghanistan’s cultural and political geographies creates daunting obstacles to national integration as well as tempting opportunities for movements ranging from Pashtun nationalism to Taliban fundamentalism. Today’s contestants (Russia, the U.S., NATO and India) are only the most recent candidates for failure. But the stakes were never higher and the fate of all South Asia is in the balance. No one could be a better guide than noted geographer, Harm de Blij. This is part 1 of a 7 part series.