Afghanistan Prior to 1978

Prior to the 'April Revolution' and the Soviet invasion a year later, Afghanistan barely registered on the conscious of most observers; in the mid-1970s, for example, the American expression 'Afghanistanism' referred to mentions of 'obscure' countries in the press. Yet while Afghanistan may not have been on most people's mental maps prior to the late 1970s, during the first half of the Cold War the country constituted an unusual arena for ideas about economic development and nationalism in Central Asia. How - if at all - could landlocked countries become wealthy in the context of the postwar global economy? What right did divided nations like the Pashtuns of Central Asia have to self-determination in an age when empires were de-colonizing, but other states made different claims of solidarity and unity? Understanding this background is crucial if one seeks to understand the significance of the processes of mass murder and state destruction in Afghanistan in the late 1970s and 1980s.

This section does just that, providing users with a brief overview of Afghanistan's history from roughly 1947 to 1978, devoting special attention to the problem of Pashtunistan and the relationship between Kabul and Pakistan during these years. Drawing on my doctoral dissertation and book manuscript-in-progress, Developing Powers, it explores how 1978 was possible.