A brief history of Afghanistan's foreign relations in the 19th century and early 20th century.

2. AFGHANISTAN AS A BUFFER STATE
• AFGHANISTAN LIES IN A STRATEGIC LOCATION IN CENTRAL ASIA.
• IN THE 19TH CENTURY, IT LIED WITH THE USSR TO ITS NORTH, BRITISH INDIA TO ITS SOUTH, CHINA TO ITS
EAST, AND THE PERSIAN EMPIRE TO ITS WEST.

3. RUSSIA(USSR) REACHES BUKHARA
• RUSSIA EXTENDED ITS INFLUENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA AND SOON THE KHANATE OF BUKHARA WAS ITS
PROTECTORATE.
• THE BRITISH FEARED THE GROWTH OF RUSSIAN POWER. SO THEY SUPPORTED CERTAIN FACTIONS OF THE
KABUL GOVERNMENT AND ESTABLISHED CLOSE TIES WITH THE EMIR IN ORDER TO GAIN INFLUENCE AND
MAKE THE AFGHANS GIVE UP SOUTHERN PASHTUN LANDS TO THE SIKHS, WHO WOULD EVENTUALLY FALL
UNDER BRITISH INFLUENCE.

5. FIRST ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR BEGINS:
• THE AFGHAN EMIR, SHAH SHUJA, LOST SUPPORT AMONG AFGHANS FOR HISBRITISH TIES.
• THE NEW EMIR, DOST MOHAMMAD KHAN, DEMANDED BRITISH SUPPORT AGAINST THE SIKHS TO REGAIN
THE PASHTUN LANDS IN EXCHANGE FOR THE DEFIANCE OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCE. UPON THE BRITISH’S
REFUSAL, DOST MOHAMMAD BEGAN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE RUSSIANS.
• THE BRITISH HASTENED AND SENT 21,000 SOLDIERS TO AFGHANISTAN TOSUBDUE MAINLAND
AFGHANISTAN. HOWEVER, THE WAR RESULTED IN AN OVERALL AFGHAN VICTORY AND 16,700 BRITISH
CASUALTIES AND 500 AFGHAN CASUALTIES; ADDITIONALLY, 1,500 AFGHANS WERE CAPTURED BY THE
BRITISH.

6. SECOND ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR:
• RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS HELD TALKS WITH THE AFGHANS IN KABUL. THE BRITISH DEMANDED TALKS TOO,
BUT THE AFGHAN ESTABLISHMENT REFUSED THEIR PROPOSAL AND WARNED TO STOP THE BRITISH
ENVOY TO KABUL IF DISPATCHED. NEVERTHELESS, THE BRITISH SENT A DIPLOMATIC MISSION TO KABUL
AND IT WAS TURNED BACK. THIS TRIGGERED THE SECOND ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR.
• THE BRITISH SENT A 40,000 STRONG FORCE THAT PERMEATED AFGHAN TERRITORY AT THREE LOCATIONS.
DURING THE WAR, THE AFGHAN EMIR DIED ON HIS WAY BACK FROMRUSSIA.
• THE NEW EMIR CEDED SOUTHERN AFGHAN TERRITORY AND AFGHAN FOREIGNPOLICY TO THE BRITISH IN
EXCHANGE FOR PROMISES OF SUPPORT AND SUBSIDY.

8. THIRD ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR:
• THE THIRD ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR STARTED WHEN KING AMANULLAH KHAN CLAIMED FOREIGN RELATIONS
INDEPENDENCE FROM THE BRITISH.
• HE NO LONGER WANTED THE AFGHAN FOREIGN POLICY TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE BRITISH, ALTHOUGH
AFGHANISTAN STAYED NEUTRAL IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR AND HAD ESTABLISHED SOME COMMUNICATIONS
WITH TURKEY AND HAD GIVEN REFUGE TO CERTAIN GERMAN ELEMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN.
• THE BRITISH DENIED, SO AMANULLAH INVADED BRITISH INDIA. AFGHANSGAINED FULL INDEPENDENCE BUT
COULDN’T REGAIN LOST TERRITORY. AIR FORCE HELPED THE BRITISH TOA GREAT EXTENT – AMANULLAH’S
PALACE WAS BOMBED TOO.

9. Amanullah Khan Independence Speech

10. CITATIONS:
• HTTP://WWW.BL.UK/RESHELP/FINDHELPREGION/ASIA/AFGHANISTAN/AFGHANISTANCOLLECTION/1809
TO1838/SOURCES1809TO1838.HTML
• BARTHORP,MICHAEL (2002) [1982]. AFGHAN WARS AND THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER 1839–1947.
LONDON: CASSELL. ISBN 0-304-36294-8.
• HTTP://WWW.MILITARY-HISTORY.ORG/ARTICLES/THE-FIRST-ANGLO-AFGHAN-WAR-1839-1842.HTM
• HTTP://WWW.WISEGEEK.COM/WHAT-IS-A-BUFFER-STATE.HTM
• HTTP://GEOPOLITICS.BLOG.LEMONDE.FR/2011/04/25/CENTRAL-ASIA-19TH-CENTURY-AFGHANISTAN-
TAKES-THE-STAGE-%E2%80%9CWHAT-TO-READ-ON-AFGHANISTAN%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-01/