Habibullah, Abdur Rahman's eldest son but child of a slave mother,
kept a close watch on the palace intrigues revolving around his
father's more distinguished wife (a granddaughter of Dost Mohammad),
who sought the throne for her own son. Although made secure in
his position as ruler by virtue of support from the army which
was created by his father, Habibullah was not as domineering as
Abdur Rahman. Consequently, the influence of religious leaders
as well as that of Mahmoud Beg Tarzi, a cousin of the king, increased
during his reign. Tarzi, a highly educated, well-traveled poet
and journalist, founded an Afghan nationalist newspaper with Abdur
Rahman's agreement, and until 1919 he used the newspaper as a
platform for rebutting clerical criticism of Western-influenced
changes in government and society, for espousing full Afghan independence,
and for other reforms. Tarzi's passionate Afghan nationalism influenced
a future generation of Asian reformers.
The boundary with Iran was firmly delineated in 1904, replacing
the ambiguous line made by a British commission in 1872. Agreement
could not be reached, however, on sharing the waters of the Helmand
River.
Like all foreign policy developments of this period affecting
Afghanistan, the conclusion of the "Great Game" between Russia
and Britain occurred without the Afghan ruler's participation.
The 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention (Entente) not only divided the
region into separate areas of Russian and British influence but
also established foundations for Afghan neutrality. The convention
provided for Russian acquiescence that Afghanistan was now outside
this sphere of influence, and for Russia to consult directly with
Britain on matters relating to Russian-Afghan relations. Britain,
for its part, would not occupy or annex Afghan territory, or interfere
in Afghanistan's internal affairs.
During World War I, Afghanistan remained neutral despite pressure
to support Turkey when its sultan proclaimed his nation's participation
in what it considered a holy war. Habibullah did, however, entertain
a Turco-German mission in Kabul in 1915. After much procrastination,
he won an agreement from the Central Powers for a huge payment
and arms provision in exchange for attacking British India. But
the crafty Afghan ruler clearly viewed the war as an opportunity
to play one side off against the other, for he also offered the
British to resist a Central Powers from an attack on India in
exchange for an end to British control of Afghan foreign policy.
Country
name Afghanistan conventional long form Islamic State of
Afghanistan conventional short form Afghanistan local long
form Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form Afghanestan former Republic of Afghanistan
Area
- total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Terrain
- mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Climate
- arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Geography
- landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide
the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in
the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Waterways
- 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Natural hazards - damaging earthquakes
occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Information
Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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