Afghanistan
Intro
Afghanistan’s geography grants corridor potential but persistent instability limits integration.
Background
Decades of conflict reshaped institutions, economy, and external relations.
History
- 1919: Independence – 1979-1989: Soviet-Afghan war – 2001-2021: US/NATO presence – 2021-: Taliban de facto control
Present Day
Future Outlook
Stabilization could unlock energy and transport corridors; otherwise isolation persists.
Map
Topics
Persons
Pete Hegseth
Jake Sullivan
Marco Rubio
Mojtaba Khamenei
María Corina Machado
Herzi Halevi
Mark Rutte
Oleksii Reznikov
Mohammed Deif
Locations
Honduras
Mexico City
Quebec
Papua New Guinea
Tajikistan
Austria
United Arab Emirates
New York City
Switzerland
Bogotá
Articles
Control is good, trust is better!
It is almost 2025. There is social unrest. A migration crisis? Foreign influences? A retreat to the national is taking . Border controls are being deployed again. People want to be “in control” again. Will this bring back confidence?
Event Timeline
Technocratic Governance and Managed Growth
Between 2002 and 2012, China was governed through a technocratic model emphasizing stability, managed economic growth, and incremental reform under collective leadership.
Convention of Peking
The Convention of Peking ended the Second Opium War and ceded the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street to Britain.
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War expanded Western military pressure on Qing China, resulting in deeper treaty concessions, legalized opium trade, and intensified foreign presence in imperial affairs.
First Opium War
In June 1839, Chinese official Lin Zexu ordered the destruction of British opium stockpiles in Canton, sparking the First Opium War.
The Long March
The Long March was a strategic retreat by Chinese Communist forces that ensured the survival of the CCP and elevated Mao Zedong as its dominant leader.
Comintern Influence on the Chinese Communist Party
From its founding until the mid-1930s, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operated under strong ideological, organizational, and operational influence from the Soviet-led Comintern, shaping leadership struggles and strategy choices until a gradual break during the Long March era.
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War exposed the failure of Qing modernization and marked the transfer of regional leadership in East Asia from China to Japan.
Iranian Revolution
In 1979, a mass movement removed the Pahlavi monarchy and established the Islamic Republic, redefining Iran’s political and ideological system.
Reform Movement and the Khatami Presidency
From 1997 to 2005, Iran experienced a reform era focused on civic openness, political participation, and institutional debate.
The Green Movement
In 2009, large-scale protests challenged the presidential election outcome, marking one of the most significant political mobilizations since 1979.
