November 14, 2001

KABUL'S TROUBLES
Taking a Look at Afghanistan's Turbulent Political Past and Present

Grades:  6-8,9-12

Subjects:  Current Events, Geography, Language Arts, Global History

Related New York Times Article
"Taliban Troops Abandon Capital Without a Fight", By DAVID ROHDE with DEXTER FILKINS, November 14, 2001

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students investigate the many political changes that Afghanistan has endured over the past century in order to better assess the impact of the recent fleeing of the Taliban from the capital of Kabul.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:
45 minutes - 1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Speculate on how they might feel if they awoke to find that the members of their country's governing body had fled their capital in the middle of the night.
  2. Explore the causes and possible impact of the fleeing of the Taliban from Kabul on Nov. 13, 2001 by reading and discussing "Taliban Troops Abandon Capital Without a Fight."
  3. Investigate changes in political control in Afghanistan in various time periods since 1919; develop pieces of a class timeline illustrating their research.
  4. Express what life may have been like in Afghanistan under the leadership researched in class, writing from the perspectives of children their age in those time periods.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following prompt (written on the board prior to class): "Imagine that you are living in a city that has been the sight of ongoing civil war and political unrest since long before you were born. You awoke this morning to find that the current reigning power has fled your city during the night. What are your first thoughts? What are your hopes and fears? What do you think might happen or needs to happen now?" After a few minutes, offer students an opportunity to share their responses with the rest of the class. Then, ask students to relate this scenario to what they know about the current political situation in Afghanistan.
  2. As a class, read and discuss "Taliban Troops Abandon Capital Without a Fight," focusing on the following questions:
    1. According to the article, what were Afghan opposition fighters able to do on Tuesday, November 13, 2001?
    2. How many people were reported killed during these events, which took place in Afghan's capital city?
    3. How, according to the article, did the people living in Kabul respond?
    4. What promise made by the Northern Alliance to Pakistan is looking like it may be broken, and why?
    5. What explanation is the Taliban giving for withdrawing its troops from Kabul?
    6. What happened in Kabul in 1996?
    7. What are some people worried may happen now in Kabul, as occurred in 1996?
    8. Who did Taliban forces reportedly take with them when they left Kabul, and why?
    9. Where are the Taliban forces presumably heading?
    10. Why, according to the article, is "the onus... on Washington to minimize any Northern Alliance retribution, and to try to assemble -- as swiftly as possible -- a new form of government for territory now under the alliance's control?"
    11. What other towns and cities have been reportedly captured by the Northern Alliance rebels? (If possible, identify these locations on a map or globe.)
  3. Explain to students that today they will be investigating the political rule and turmoil of different periods of time in 20th century Afghanistan. Divide students into eight groups, and assign each group to one of the following time periods in Afghanistan's political history (you might want to write each of these periods on an index card or slip of paper and have each group randomly select one):
    • 1919-1923 (under the leadership of Amir Amnullah Khan)
    • 1933-1973 (under the leadership of Mohammed Zahir Shah)
    • 1973-1978 (under the leadership of Mohammed Daoud)
    • 1978 (under the leadership of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan)
    • 1978 (under the leadership of Nur Mohammed Teraki)
    • 1979 (under the leadership of Babrak Karmal)
    • 1980s (under the leadership of the Mujaheedin)
    • 1996 to present (under the leadership of the Taliban)
    For the time period and political power that they were assigned, and using all available classroom resources, each group researches the answers to the following questions (written on the board for easier student access):
    • What were/are the beliefs of this group or leader and its followers?
    • Under what conditions was this group first formed, and how did its leader first come to power?
    • What was the social and political climate in Afghanistan at the time?
    • What role did Kabul play in Afghanistan's history at this time?
    Based on what they learn, each group creates an illustrated poster about Afghanistan during the time period that they researched, including clear answers to the research questions. The posters should indicate the group's researched years and leadership across the top. Students may need additional class time to complete their posters. Once all groups have finished, post their works side by side on a bulletin board, classroom wall or hallway in chronological order to create a timeline of Afghanistan's political history since 1919. Invite each group to share its portion of the timeline with the class, presenting in chronological order. After each group presents, encourage students to form connections between this time period and the previous one.
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Considering their research findings, each student imagines that he or she were living in Kabul during the time period explored by his or her group, and writes a diary entry or letter discussing what the political climate and daily life were like at this time. Alternately, students might describe how life in Kabul was impacted by a change in political leadership during this time. Students should share their writing in a future class.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal responses, participation in class discussions, research-based group posters, and thoughtful reflective writings.

VOCABULARY:
slain, extracted, inimical, mullah, confirmation, jubilant, execute, onus, retribution, atrocities, entrenched, bombardment, manifested, proxies, infidels

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Read a poem about Kabul written by Saib-e-Tabrizi in the 17th century (http://www.afghan-network.net/Culture/kabul_poem.html). Learn more about what Kabul looks like today, and write your own poem describing it, attempting to emulate Saib-e-Tabrizi's style.
  2. Copy a current, detailed map of Afghanistan from a world atlas, and post it on a wall of your classroom. Using different colored pushpins, as well as newspaper and other accounts from the past few months, identify the groups that had control over different parts of the country prior to September 11, 2001. Next, using the article read in class and any other current resources, rearrange the pushpins to show who has control over various cities and areas of Afghanistan now. In a short essay, explain how political control over the country has changed since the beginning of September and what influence the United States bombing of Afghanistan has had. Continue to update your pushpin map as new developments occur.
  3. The Khyber Pass, a 33-mile passage through the Hindu Kush mountain range, connects the northern frontier of Pakistan with Afghanistan. To this day, its two highways allow both motor traffic and traditional caravans to pass. Research additional information about the Khyber Pass and its role in Afghanistan's history. Then, create a three-dimensional relief map of the Khyber Pass and the area surrounding it, and write an essay explaining its importance in Afghanistan both in the past and the present.
  4. Afghanistan is a country made up of many ethnic and tribal groups, such as the Hazara, Pashtun, Uzbek and so on. Find out more about these various groups and where and how they live. Then, use this information to create a map showing the ethnic makeup of the country. In a short essay, explain some of the ways that this diversity has affected life there.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Fine Arts - Earlier in 2001, news was released that the Taliban was starting to destroy centuries-old Buddhas that were carved into a rock face in Afghanistan. Find out when, where and why the Taliban was doing this, and explain your findings in a short essay. Then, create a replica of these Buddhas or other examples of ancient Afghan art in an effort to help preserve that country's heritage.

Economics - According to the C.I.A., Afghanistan is the world's largest opium producer, and narcotics traffic is a major source of revenue there. Find out more about how their drug trafficking system works and whom it benefits. Write an essay explaining what you find out, and include some recommendations as to how this elicit business might be stopped.

Health - Create a brochure outlining Afghanistan's greatest current health issues and medical concerns. Include statistics such as infant mortality rate, life expectancy, and so on. Conclude with some recommendations as to what international aid organizations can do to help.

Journalism/Teaching with The Times - After researching more about the possible scenarios that experts are speculating may be a part of Afghanistan's future, write an editorial describing what you would ideally like to see take place there next. Compare your ideas to those you find in The New York Times and other newspapers.

Copyright 2001
The New York Times Company

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