Afghanistan

UN Involvement in Afghanistan

By: Reza Hojjati
Teacher: Mr. Hopkins
Date: May 21, 2010
Did the United Nations follow international law involving the damaged country of Afghanistan? Afghanistan has been a country full of violence and insecurity since late 1970’s. It is viewed and labelled as one of the world’s most underdeveloped countries. The United Nations had the power and authority to help this nation and grant it peace and security. Since then, the United Nations did not follow international law in solving conflicts and maintaining its goals in Afghanistan. In 1979, the Soviet Union supported the Marxist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and were against the Mujahedeen Resistance. The Afghan government, which had secured a treaty in 1978 that allowed them to call upon Soviet troops, made multiple requests in the summer of 1979. The requests were for assistance in the fight against the Mujahedeen rebels. The Afghan government requested for military weapons, tanks, aircrafts, specialists, etc. On December 24, 1979, the Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan. But the Mujahedeen were able to gain support from the United States. On July 3, 1979, US President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order authorizing the CIA to start an operation against the communist group. The United Nations, United States, and other Muslim countries were extremely concerned over this invasion by the Soviet Union. This invasion was clearly a violation of international law. But nothing was merely done about this violation of international law by the United Nations. Another conflict in Afghanistan was the U.S invasion of Afghanistan. The United States invaded Afghanistan on the October of 2001, in retaliation of the September 11 tragedy. At that time period, Afghanistan had been ruled by the Taliban, who had been supporting a terrorist based group called Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda had taken responsibility for the September 11 attacks on the United States. With no legal...