| − | '''Afghanistan''' ([[Pashto]]/[[Dari]]: افغانستان), officially the '''Islamic Republic of Afghanistan''',<ref>http://www.president.gov.af/</ref> is a country in [[South Asia]] which borders the Arabian Sea to the south, India to the east and [[Iran]] to the west. Afghanistan was the scene of the defeat of the [[Soviet Union]] in the [[Soviet-Afghan war]] of 1979–1988. In the 1990s an extremist Islamic [[Taliban]] movement took control and allowed Osama bin-Laden and his Al-Qaeda to operate there and plan the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the U.S. An international invasion led by the U.S. overthrew the Taliban in 2001, but they have rebuilt strongholds in the south, along the Pakistan border, and have escalated the insurgency. | + | '''Afghanistan''' ([[Pashto]]/[[Dari]]: افغانستان), officially the '''Islamic Republic of Afghanistan''',<ref>http://www.president.gov.af/</ref> is a country in [[South Asia]] which borders the Arabian Sea to the south, India to the east and [[Iran]] to the west. Afghanistan was the scene of the defeat of the [[Soviet Union]] in the [[Soviet-Afghan war]] of 1979–1988. In the 1990s an extremist Islamic [[Taliban]] movement took control and allowed Osama bin-Laden and his Al-Qaeda to operate there and plan the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the U.S. An international invasion led by the U.S. overthrew the Taliban in 2001, but they have rebuilt strongholds in the south, along the Pakistan border, and have escalated the insurgency. In 2021, President [[Joe Biden]] withdrew [[American]] forces from the country in a way that enabled its nearly immediate recapture by the [[Taliban]]. |
| | Elections for a new government held in summer 2009 were clouded by serious charges of irregularity. In September 2009 the issue was whether to expand the American military presence to engage in more nation building. | | Elections for a new government held in summer 2009 were clouded by serious charges of irregularity. In September 2009 the issue was whether to expand the American military presence to engage in more nation building. |
| − | The 2009 presidential election was badly tainted by fraud. Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, the main opponent of President [[Hamid Karzai]], pulled out of the runoff in November, and Karzai was declared reelected for another five-year term. His legitimacy and support was seriously weakened by the election frauds, but the U.S., [[NATO]], and the [[United Nations|UN]] have agreed to keep him in power. Since 2014 Afghanistan is ruled by [[Ashraf Ghani]]. | + | The 2009 presidential election was badly tainted by fraud. Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, the main opponent of President [[Hamid Karzai]], pulled out of the runoff in November, and Karzai was declared reelected for another five-year term. His legitimacy and support was seriously weakened by the election frauds, but the U.S., [[NATO]], and the [[United Nations|UN]] have agreed to keep him in power. Since 2014 Afghanistan is ruled by Ashraf Ghani. |