AfghanistanUnited States relations

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AfghanistanUnited States relations

Afghanistan

United States

AfghanistanUnited States relations can be traced to 1921[1] but the first contact between
the two occurred further back in 1830s when the first recorded person from the United States
was visiting Afghanistan.[2] In the last decade, Afghan-American relations have become
stronger than ever before. According to a 2006 BBC poll, the U.S. was the most favored
country in Afghanistan.[3]
Contents
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1 History
1.1 Official diplomatic relations
1.2 Cold War
1.3 Soviet invasion and civil war
1.4 NATO presence and the Karzai administration

1.4.1 Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement

2 Gallery
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

History[edit]

Josiah Harlan, anAmerican adventurer and a political activist shown in this pre-1871photograph wearing
anAfghan robe.

The first recorded contact between Afghanistan and the United States occurred in 1830s
when Josiah Harlan, an American adventurer and political activist from the Philadelphia area
of Pennsylvania, traveled to the Indian subcontinent with intentions of becoming the King of
Afghanistan. It was when theBritish Indian army invaded Afghanistan, during the First AngloAfghan War (18381842) when Afghan kings Shuja Shah Durrani and Dost Mohammad
Khan were fighting for the throne of the Durrani Empire. Harlan became involved in Afghan
politics and factional military actions, eventually winning the title Prince of Ghor in exchange
for military aid.[2] The British-Indian forces were defeated and forced to make a complete
withdrawal a few years later, with around 16,500 of them being reported to be killed and
captured in 1842. There is no clear evidence as to what happened because the claim is
made byWilliam Brydon, the lone survivor. Harlan is believed to have left Afghanistan around
the same period, eventually returning to the United States.
In 1911, A.C. Jewett arrived in Afghanistan to build a hydroelectric plant near Kabul. He
became the Chief Engineer for King Habibullah Khan. Formerly an employee of General
Electric (GE), he became the second American known to live and work in Afghanistan. [4]

Official diplomatic relations[edit]

Further information: United States Ambassador to Afghanistan
In January 1921, after the Treaty of Rawalpindi was signed between Afghanistan and
colonial British India, the Afghan missionvisited the United States to establish diplomatic
relations.[1] Upon their return to Kabul, the envoys brought a greeting letter from U.S.
President Warren G. Harding. After the establishment of diplomatic relations, the US policy of
helping developing nations raise their standard of living was an important factor in
maintaining and improving US ties with Afghanistan.[5] Residing in Tehran, William Harrison
Hornibrook served as a non-resident US Envoy (Minister Plenipotentiary) to Afghanistan from
1935 to 1936. Louis Goethe Dreyfus served from 1940 to 1942, at which point the
Kabul Legation was opened in June 1942. Major Gordon Enders of the United States
Army was appointed the first military attach to Kabul and Cornelius Van Hemert
Engert represented the U.S. Legation from 1942 to 1945 followed by Ely Eliot Palmer from
1945 to 1948.[6] Although Afghanistan had close relations with Nazi Germany, it remained
neutral and was not a participant in World War II.

Cold War[edit]
Main article: Cold War

Afghan-American relations became important during the start of the Cold War, between the
United States and Soviet Union. Prince Mohammed Naim, King Zahir Shah's cousin,
became the Charg d'affaires in Washington, D.C. At that time, U.S. President Harry S.
Truman commented that the friendship between the two countries would be "preserved and
strengthened" by the presence of senior diplomats in each capital. The first official
Afghanistan Ambassador to the United States was Habibullah Khan Tarzi, who served until
1953. The U.S. Kabul Legation was elevated to the U.S. Embassy Kabul on May 6, 1948.
Louis Goethe Dreyfus, who previously served as Minister Plenipotentiary, became the U.S.
Ambassador to Afghanistan from 1949 to 1951. [6] The first American expedition to
Afghanistan was led by Louis Dupree, Walter Fairservis, and Henry Hart.[7] In 1953, Richard
Nixon who was serving asU.S. Vice President at the time made an official diplomatic visit
to Kabul. He also took a short tour around the city and met with local Afghans.

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's state visit to Afghanistan on December 9, 1959.

In 1958, Prime Minister Daoud Khan became the first Afghan to speak before the United
States Congress in Washington, DC. His presentation focused on a number of issues, but
most importantly, underscored the importance of US-Afghan relations. While in the US
capital of Washington, Daoud met with President Dwight Eisenhower, signed an important
cultural exchange agreement, and reaffirmed personal relations with Vice President Nixon
that had begun during the latter's trip to Kabul in 1953. The Prime Minister also traveled
around the United States visiting the New York Stock Exchange, the Empire State Building,
hydroelectric facilities at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and other sites.

King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan and U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C., two months
before his assassination.

At that time the United States declined Afghanistan's request for defense cooperation but
extended an economic assistance program focused on the development of Afghanistan's

physical infrastructureroads, dams, and power plants. Later, US aid shifted from
infrastructure projects to technical assistance programs to help develop the skills needed to
build a modern economy. Contacts between the United States and Afghanistan increased
during the 1950s, especially during the Cuban Revolutionbetween 1953 and 1959. While the
Soviet Union was supporting Cuba's Fidel Castro, the United States was focusing on
Afghanistan for its strategic purposes. This was mainly to counter the spread
of communism and the strength of the Soviet Union into South Asia, particularly the Persian
Gulf.
President Eisenhower made a state visit to Afghanistan in December 1959 to meet with its
leaders. He landed at Bagram Airfield and then drove from there to Kabul in a motorcade.
[8]
He met with King Zahir Shah, Prime Minister Daoud and a number of high-ranking
government officials. He also took a tour of Kabul. After this important visit, the United States
began to feel that Afghanistan was safe from ever becoming a Sovietsatellite state. From the
1950s to 1979, U.S. foreign assistance provided Afghanistan with more than $500 million in
loans, grants, and surplus agricultural commodities to develop transportation facilities,
increase agricultural production, expand the educational system, stimulate industry, and
improve government administration.[5]
In 1963, King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan made a special state visit to the United States
where he was met by John F. Kennedy andEunice Kennedy Shriver. Zahir Shah also took a
special tour of the United States, visiting Disney Land in California, New York and other
places. Habibullah Karzai, uncle of Hamid Karzai who served as representative of
Afghanistan at the United Nations, is also believed to have accompanied Zahir Shah in the
course of the King's state visit.[9] During this period the Soviets were beginning to feel that the
United States was turning Afghanistan into a satellite state. In 1965, Afghanistan and Cuba
saw the establishment of communist parties, the Communist Party of Cuba and the People's
Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA).
Vice President Spiro Agnew, accompanied by Apollo 10 astronauts Thomas
Stafford and Eugene Cernan, visited Kabul during an eleven-nation tour of Asia. At a formal
dinner hosted by the Royal Family, the American delegation presented the King with a piece
oflunar rock, a small Afghan flag carried on the Apollo 11 flight to the moon, and photographs
of Afghanistan taken from space. By the 1970s, numerous American teachers, engineers,
doctors, scholars, diplomats, and explorers had traversed Afghanistan's rugged landscape
where they lived and worked. The Peace Corps was active in Afghanistan between 1962 and
1979. Many other American programs were running in the country such as CARE, American
Scouting overseas (Afghanistan Scout Association), USAID, and others.

Soviet invasion and civil war[edit]

Further information: CIA activities in Afghanistan, Operation Cyclone and Reagan Doctrine
After the April 1978 Saur Revolution, relations between the two nations deteriorated. In
February 1979, U.S. Ambassador Adolph "Spike" Dubs was murdered in Kabul after Afghan
security forces burst in on his kidnappers. The U.S. then reduced bilateral assistance and
terminated a small military training program. All remaining assistance agreements were
ended after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Following the Soviet invasion, the United States supported diplomatic efforts to achieve a
Soviet withdrawal. In addition, generous U.S. contributions to the refugee program in
Pakistan played a major part in efforts to assist Afghan refugees. U.S. efforts also included
helping the population living inside Afghanistan. This cross-border humanitarian
assistance program aimed at increasing Afghan self-sufficiency and helping resist Soviet
attempts to drive civilians out of the rebel-dominated countryside. During the period of Soviet
occupation of Afghanistan, the U.S. provided about 3 billion US dollars in military and

economic assistance to theMujahideen groups stationed on the Pakistani side of the Durand
Line. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989 for security reasons.

NATO presence and the Karzai administration[edit]

Main articles: War in Afghanistan (2001present) and Presidency of Hamid Karzai
Further information: Opium production in Afghanistan and CIA transnational anti-crime and
anti-drug activities Southwest Asia

Former U.S. President George W. Bush with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Afghanistan, on
March 1, 2006.

Following the September 11 attacks in the United States, believed to be orchestrated

byOsama bin Laden who was residing in Afghanistan under asylum at the time, the U.S.ledOperation Enduring Freedom was launched. This major military operation was aimed at
removing the Taliban government from power and to capture or kill al Qaeda members,
including Osama bin Laden. Following the overthrow of the Taliban, the U.S. supported the
new government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai by maintaining a high level of troops to
establish the authority of his government as well as combat Taliban insurgency. Both
Afghanistan and the United States resumed diplomatic ties in late 2001.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul,Afghanistan. There is also a U.S.consulate in the city of Herat in the west, with
others being built in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, Kandahar in the south, andJalalabad in the east.

The United States has taken the leading role in the overall reconstruction of Afghanistan by
providing billions of dollars to the Afghan National Security Forces, building national roads,
government and educational institutions. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed
a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. [5] In 1
March 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush along with his wifeLaura made a visit to
Afghanistan where they greeted US soldiers, met with Afghan officials and later appeared at
a special inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Embassy. Although many American politicians
have praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai's leadership, [10] he has come under fire in 2009

from the Obama administration for his unwillingness to crack down on government
corruption.[11] After winning the 2009 presidential election Karzai vowed to tackle the problem.
He stated that "individuals who are involved in corruption will have no place in the
government."[12]

Karzai and U.S. President Barack Obama at the NATO summit in November 2010.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul began renovation in late 2001 and was expanded several years
later. Many high level U.S. politicians, military personnels, celebrities and journalistsbegan
visiting Afghanistan over the last nine years. The U.S. State Department is currently
spending another $500 million to further expand their embassy in Kabul, which is scheduled
to be completed in 2014.[13] In December 2009, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and
Afghan officials, after signing a land lease for the mission with Afghan Foreign
Minister Rangin Spanta, announced that the United States will open consulatesoutside
Kabul. A first lease-contract was signed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and a second
one in the western city of Herat. The consulate in Herat will temporary operate for three
years in a leased hotel. During the period the United States will construct a new building for
the consulate there. The Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif consulates will begin functioning in mid2011.[14][15] Two more U.S. consulates are being planned for the southern and eastern zones
in Afghanistan, one in Kandahar and another in Jalalabad.[16]
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has an embassy in Washington DC, as well as a
consulate in New York City and another in Los Angeles. The current Afghan Ambassador to
the United States is Eklil Ahmad Hakimi, replacing Said Tayeb Jawad in early 2011.[17]
The United States armed forces have been gradually rising its troop level in Afghanistan
since 2002, reaching about 100,000 in 2010. They are to begin leaving slowly between mid2011 to the end of 2014. However, Vice President Joe Biden has proposed to station an
unknown number of the U.S. military forces after 2014. [18] South Carolina Senator Lindsey
Graham also suggested that the United States should stay in Afghanistan permanently. He
claims that this would benefit both nations, as the U.S. would have a clear idea about what
was happening in the region on a daily basis, and Afghan security forces would have an
edge militarily to ensure that the country never went back into the hands of the Taliban. [19] He
further claimed that Afghan leaders accept this long-term U.S. military presence since it
benefits them, but neighboring Iran and some of its allies are opposed to it, though this claim
is disputable.[20][neutrality is disputed]
American and Afghan officials said after Afghanistan's designation as major non-NATO by
the United States in July 2012 that they now must turn to working out a deal that would keep
a residual American force in Afghanistan to continue training Afghan soldiers and tracking
down insurgents after 2014. Talks on the arrangement have not yet begun according to
American officials. Estimates of the number of troops that could stay vary from as little as
10,000 to as many as 25,000 or 30,000. But Mrs. Clinton reiterated on July 7, 2012 that
Washington did envision keeping American troops in Afghanistan, where they would provide
the kind of air power and surveillance capabilities needed to give Afghan forces an edge over

the Taliban. This is the kind of relationship that we think will be especially beneficial as we
do the transition and as we plan for the post-2014 presence, she said. It will open the door
to Afghanistans military to have a greater capability and a broader kind of relationship with
the United States and especially the United States military. [21]
Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement[edit]

Main article: U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement

On 2 May 2012, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and The United States President Barack
Obama signed a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, after the US
president had arrived in Kabul as part of unannounced trip to Afghanistan on the first
anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death.[22] The U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership
Agreement, officially entiteled the "Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America", [23]provides the long-term
framework for the relationship between Afghanistan and the United States of America after
the drawdown of U.S. forces in the Afghanistan war.[24] The Strategic Partnership Agreement
went into effect on July 4, 2012 as stated by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said
on July 8, 2012 at the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan: "Like a number of countries
represented here, the United States and Afghanistan signed a Strategic Partnership
Agreement that went into effect four days ago."[25]
On 7 July 2012, as part of the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement, the United States
designated Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally after US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton arrived in Kabul to meet with President Karzai. She said: "There are a number of
benefits that accrue to countries that have this designation... They are able to have access to
excess defense supplies, for example, and they can be part of certain kinds of training and
capacity building."[26]

Gallery[edit]

US President Ronald Reagan with a group ofmujahideenrepresentatives at theWhite House in 1983.