Afghan men carry the carcass of a headless goat towards the goal during a traditional game of Buzkashi in Kabul, Friday, Feb. 28, 2003. Buzkashi means 'goat-grabbing' in the Dari language, which is widely spoken in Afghanistan. The object of the game is to try to snatch the 150-pound (nearly 70-kilogram) carcass from the center of the field and carry it to a scoring area.

Can you see the headless goat?

80’s style warlords in the West

Drug-Runners in the North

Taliban and Islamic Extremists in the South

Where is Afghani President Hamid Karzai??

20092009

The reported strike occurred in the South Waziristan region, part of Pakistan's wild border zone that is considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

VIDEO

Inside the Taliban

Afghanistan- A Afghanistan- A HistoryHistory• 1919: Independence from UK: Becomes Monarchy

• 1973: Coup! Daoud Khan abolishes Monarchy, declares himself President of the Republic of Afghanistan (Still Monarchy…)

• 1978: Communist Counter-Coup!– Daoud killed/ friendship with Communist Countries!Countries!

• 1979: Afghan- Soviet War!– USSR invaded to “support” Communists– US supported ‘milita’ fighters against communists (early Taliban)communists (early Taliban)

• 1989 (Feb): Total Soviet withdraw (Chaos!!!)(Chaos!!!)• 1992: Fall of Afghani Communist State• 1994: Taliban militia emerged

– Offered ORDER in an unstable country.• 1996: Taliban in FULL CONTROL

– Worse for Women, human rights restrictions…• 2001: After 9.11, US ousted Taliban and set Hamid Karzai as Interim

President. (Democratic Elections)• 2004 & 2009: Presidential Elections

– Karzai officially President (5 year term)• 2005: National Assembly officially inaugurated

– Islamic Republic• 2014: Next Presidential Elections

– Delayed???

Afghanistan Afghanistan TodayToday

View of the "Red City" in Bamyan Province. The color is from the red clay used in construction; the dry climate has allowed for the remarkable preservation.

CIA Factbook

To be celebrated: Afghanistan sprinter Tahmina Kohistani competes in the heats of the women's 100m at the London Olympic Games. 

President Hamid Karzai, in power since Taliban rule was ended in 2001, won a second five-year term as president in an August 2009 election widely criticized both at home and abroad as being marred by widespread fraud.

Mr Karzai again ran into difficulties in January 2010, when parliament rejected most of his new cabinet line-up, much of it reputedly chosen to please the president's allies among the powerful but unpopular former warlords.

However, the president's relations with the West cooled significantly towards the end of his second term, amid allegations of widespread corruption in his administration.

The Kite RunnerThe Kite Runner

EthnicityEthnicity

Pashtun 42%,

Tajik 27%,

Hazara 9%,

Uzbek 9%

LanguageLanguage

Afghan Persian or Dari (official 50%,

Pashto (official) 35%,

Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%

War in War in AfghanistanAfghanistan

ObamaObama• After years of military focus on Iraq,

Obama ordered a surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in December 2009. At its peak, there were about 100,000 U.S. forces in the embattled country, intent on wrestling back control of areas in southern and eastern Afghanistan that had been taken over by the Taliban. That boost of troops was temporary and, by the end of September, all 30,000 extra troops will have been removed.

• During a visit to the Army base of Fort Bliss in Texas."Next year, Afghans will take the lead for their own security. In 2014, the transition will be complete," he said then.

• Candidates’ Policy in Afghanistan

RomneyRomney• While Romney has called Obama's

policy in Afghanistan a politically timed retreat, there is little evident difference between both candidates as to how they'd approach the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan.

• "Our goal should be to complete a successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014," Romney said this month in a speech before a National Guard Association meeting in Reno, Nevada. "I will evaluate conditions on the ground and solicit the best advice of our military commanders," he said.

• Candidates’ Foreign Policy

Today, Today,

68,000 US

68,000 US

troops in

troops in

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Pakistan- Pakistan- TodayToday• Chief of State: Prime Minister Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 9 September

2008) Musharraf: Out with the old (Dictator?) in with the new (corruption?)

• note: following President Pervez MUSHARRAF's resignation on 18 August 2008, elections were held on 6 September in which Asif Ali ZARDARI won a clear majority; ZARDARI'S inauguration as president of Pakistan on 9 September solidified the country's return to civilian government after more than eight years of military rule

– Benazir Bhutto: Assassinated 12/2007– PPP (Pakistan People’s Party)

• CIA: Pakistan BBC: Pakistan BBC: Pakistan 60’s- 70’s: Zulfikar Bhutto (Benazir’s father)

70’s-80’s: Ousted by General Zia (Islamic Repub)

1988-1990: Ms. Benazir Bhutto is PM

1990-1993: Nawaz Sharif

1993- 1997: Benazir Bhutto

1997-1999: Sharif

1999- Aug 2008: Peres Musharraf (military coup)

Sept 2008-??: Zardari elected

Asif ZardariAsif Zardari

• Mr Zardari had long lived in the shadow of his late charismatic wife, Benazir Bhuttolate charismatic wife, Benazir Bhutto, who was twice Pakistan's prime minister and head of the Pakistan People's Party (PPPPakistan People's Party (PPP) - a position Mr Zardari inherited upon her death in December 2007.

• Asif Zardari married Ms Bhutto in 1987 and held the positions of federal environment minister and federal investment minister during her tenure as premier.

• But Mr Zardari was also controversially referred to as "Mr 10%" "Mr 10%" following allegations of corruption. For this, and for murder charges of which he was later cleared, he spent two separate terms in prison totalling eleven and a half years.

• In December 20092009, the Supreme Court ruled illegal an amnesty law introduced in 2007 by former President Musharraf offering Mr Zardari immunity from corruption charges immunity from corruption charges. The law was designed to allow Mr Zardari's late wife, Benazir Bhutto, to return to the country.

• Under pressure to relinquish some of the powers accumulated by Pakistan's presidency in four decades of recurrent military rule, Mr Zardari in April 2010 presented to parliament proposals for sweeping constitutional reformsweeping constitutional reform.

• The measures were designed to strip the president of key powers - including the right to dissolve parliament, dismiss the government and appoint the head of the powerful military - and in effect restrict the office to a largely ceremonial role.The constitutional amendments bill received overwhelming support in both houses of parliament.

• In 2010, Mr Zardari came under heavy criticism in Pakistan for visiting Britain during the devastating floods, in which millions were displaced.

• On becoming president, Mr Zardari pledged to tackle the problem of Islamic militancytackle the problem of Islamic militancy. Following allegations by India that the devastating 2008 attacks on the city of Mumbai were orchestrated in Pakistan, he insisted his country was ready to cooperate with other countries in the fight against terrorism.

Pakistan Current Events:Pakistan Current Events:•Nukes:

•Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)•International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)•See Sheet

•Wazirstan:•Taliban HQ

•Quetta, Swat Valley•CFR: CFR:

•INTERACTIVE MAPINTERACTIVE MAP

•Education:•Malala Yousufzai

•BBC: Her BlogBBC: Her Blog•ArticleArticle

•Madrassa •Tribal Areas