Brief History on US-Afghanistan Relations

Posted on Mar 29, 2011 in Afghanistan, CUSAP, Hamed Wardak

It was as far back as the 1830s when Pennsylvanian born activist, adventurer Josiah Harlan made his way to Afghanistan as he was determined to be King there.  He didn’t quite realize his dream but he did earn the title Prince of Ghor, for a price.  He had to pay with military aid.  Some years down the track, the British-Indians had to totally withdraw following their defeat and in 1842 thousands of Brits and Indians had been either massacred or captured.  It’s hard to tell exactly what happened as only one man survived – William Brydon – and it is his testimony alone that is being relied upon.  It was said that Harlan left the country at about the same time, making  his way back to his home country.
Today, there are still attempts to establish relations between the two countries.    Hamed Wardak is one of the eight founders of CUSAP (Campaign for a US-Afghanistan Partnership).  The vision of the organization is to “achieve sustainable security and prosperity in Afghanistan.”