QuoteProject
Afghanistan's borders are arbitrary, drawn to meet 19th-century political needs rather than to respect ethnic or religious patterns.
Stephen Kinzer
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The borders of Afghanistan were created without regard for the country's diverse ethnic and religious groups.

Stephen Kinzer's quote highlights how the borders of Afghanistan were established based on the political interests of colonial powers in the 19th century, rather than taking into consideration the existing cultural, ethnic, and religious demographics of the region. This arbitrary drawing of borders has led to ongoing conflict and challenges in national unity, as these divisions do not align with the historical and social realities of the Afghan people.

Themes

AfghanistanBordersPoliticsEthnicReligionConflict

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture on international relations, one might reference Afghanistan's borders to discuss the impact of colonialism.

More from Stephen Kinzer

Guerrilla leaders win wars by being paranoid and ruthless. Once they take power, they are expected to abandon those qualities and embrace opposite ones: tolerance, compromise and humility. Almost none manages to do so.
Stephen KinzerRead
Rwanda has emerged from the devastation of genocide and become more secure and prosperous than anyone had a right to expect.
Stephen KinzerRead
Accepting that Arabs have the right to elect their own leaders means accepting the rise of governments that do not share America's pro-Israel militancy.
Stephen KinzerRead
After installing friendly leaders in Iran and Guatemala, the United States lost interest in promoting democracy in either country.
Stephen KinzerRead
Want to depose the government of a poor country with resources? Want to bash Muslims? Want to build support for American military interventions around the world? Want to undermine governments that are raising their people up from poverty because they don't conform to the tastes of Upper West Side intellectuals? Use human rights as your excuse!
Stephen KinzerRead
Every nation, like every individual, would like to believe it owes 'no apology' to anyone. Adults realise, however, that few among us are purely innocent or utterly blameless.
Stephen KinzerRead

Similar quotes

Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders.
Thomas SowellRead
I never stood for any president in my life, never voted, before Barack Obama. It changed my life to vote. It starts there with me. I never cared for politics before Barack Obama. I never thought it mattered to people like me.
NasRead
You call that statesmanship. I call it an emotional spasm.
Aneurin BevanRead
Here is what the practical impact of Citizens United means. What Citizens United means is that corporations call hundreds of millions of dollars into television ads, radio ads, and other forms of advertising to defeat those candidates who stand up and take them on.
Bernie SandersRead
Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Ronald ReaganRead
The era when the United States was the dominant global power is steadily coming to an end, and it must find a way of acknowledging this and framing its ambitions and interests accordingly. Instead of claiming the right to continuing primacy in east Asia, for example, it should seek to share that primacy with China.
Martin JacquesRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.