-THE END OF A BUFFER STATE?

The British occupation of Iraq, , thousands of years, wave upon wave and Iran during the last few months of migrating peoples swept from an was in every case preceded by the claim sides against this barrier without ever that dangerous German intrigues were completely surmounting it. This is being carried on in those territories. the origin of Afghanistan's manifold Quite recently such reproaches were population. also directed against Afghanistan. Does this mean that Afghanistan's part Four river systems carry the waters as a buffer state has been played out? of the Koh-i-Baba away to all points of the compass: to the north flows Throughout the last few decades the Amu Daria into Lake Aral, to the modern Afghanistan has been the northwest the Murgh-ab into the deserts typical example of a buffer state. It of Kara Kum, to the southwest the owed its existence to its strategic Hilmend into the marshlands of Seistan, position which straddles the only road and to the east the Kabul river to the. (Shiba Pass-Kabul-Khyber Pass) be­ Indian Ocean. tween the systems of the Amu Daria and the Indus rivers-between The road-network of Afghanistan and British . It was given its gives a clear picture of its geographical role of a buffer during the nineteenth and political position. The main road century when Russian imperialism led runs in a wide circle through the Shiba the soldiers of the Tsar deep into Pass and round the central massif of Central Asia, and that old bugbear of the Afghan mountains. From this ring England's-an attack on India from radial roads branch off into the neigh­ the north-came very much to life. boring - northwards into There was on several occasions at that Russia, westwards into Iran, and on time a serious possibility of an armed the extended southeastern border into clash between the two great powers. British India. However, the Russian advance gradually came to a standstill and was replaced Nothing indicates more clearly the by an activation of Russian foreign buffer nature of Afghanistan than its policy in other directions, towards railway connections with the outside Europe and the Far East. Nevertheless world. Four railroads, two Russian and England made sure of the vulnerable two British, lead right up to the very North-West Frontier of India by the border barriers of Afghanistan. But creation of the buffer state of Afghan­ England and Russia have watched with. istan. The advantage of Afghanistan jealous and suspicious eyes to see that as a buffer against Russia outweighed the railroads of the opposing side did its nuisance as a base and refuge for not move into Afghan territory by SI} anti-British tribesmen such as the Fakir much as a foot. of Ipi. The rivalry between Great Britain Afghanistan, the Great Divide of and Russia, to which Afghanistan owes rivers and peoples, seems to have been its existence as a buffer state, although especially chosen by nature for this it continues to exist fundamentally has purpose. The mighty ranges of the been temporarily suspended today by Hindu Kush and Koh-i-Baba are almost the alliance of these two powers. For entirely impassable. In the course of the duration of this suspension the AFGHANISTAN-THE END OF A BUFFER STATE? 13T position of Afghanistan has, therefore, of communication between the British undergone a radical change. A buffer and the USSR. state created by two powers as means Afghanistan is following this trend of defense against each other has with great anxiety. During the last few mddenly turned into a through years the country has been busy with which both allies would be able to modernizing and inwardly strengthen­ eo-operate economically and militarily. ing the state by building up its systems­ An occupation of southern Russia in of education and administration. The Europe by German troops would render occupation by British and Soviet troops the road through the Khyber and Shiba would bring this development to an Passes the most important means abrupt end.

AND ITS STRATEGIC POSITION

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