Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Cultural Heritage Destruction In Middle Eastern Museums: Problems And Causes, Evan A. Wright

Museum Studies Theses

Destruction of cultural heritage sites and museums in the Middle East has become increasingly prevalent in the recent decades. This thesis aims to unravel the causes for these violent acts. It uses a socio-historical perspective of how culture, religion, and politics have polarized people and contributed to the ruination. Three museums are examined through a scope of progressive violence: The Kuwait National Museum, The National Museum of Iraq and the National Museum of Afghanistan. This thesis shows that both secular and religious factors have contributed to this destruction, and faults by international governing agencies and of investment of mitigation strategies …

Whose Monster? A Study In The Rise To Power Of Al Qaeda And The Taliban, Nicholas Kotarski

History Theses

This thesis seeks to determine which factors and parties were most responsible for the transformation of the Mujahedeen who pushed the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan into what would eventually become al Qaeda and the Taliban in the 1990s. First brought to America's attention due to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, they would gain increased notoriety as the decade progressed due to the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women, and finally culminating in the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001.

Aggression Or Desperation: Reevaluating The Soviet Motivations For Invading Afghanistan, Kyle Sallee

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The pervading historical viewpoint of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 has centered on the notion of Soviet expansionism and aggression. Yet recently declassified Soviet documents offer new insights into the motivations for the invasion and necessitate the review of existing historic accounts of the Russo-Afghan War. Utilizing declassified Politburo memos, secret Soviet letters and telegrams, and news reports, this essay sheds light on the heated debate amongst the Soviet intelligentsia over its Afghanistan policy and questions the Western interpretations and responses to the invasion.

A War That Never Ends: Internal Conflicts, External Interventions, And The Civil Wars In Afghanistan, Chang-Dae David Hyun

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

About the author:

Chang-Dae David Hyun received his H.B.A with a concentration in political science from the University of Toronto in 2017. He was a Winner of Kathleen & William Davis Scholarship and Saul & Lois Rae Scholarship at the University College. He received a full scholarship from the Tsinghua University of China during the summer of 2017. He was a former sergeant from the Republic of Korea Air Force (2007-2010).

Avoiding Nation-Building: From Nixon To Trump, Dominic Tierney

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Ali, Ali, Twila Bird

TSOS Interview Gallery

At eighteen fate placed Ali and his family in the center of hostilities in northern Afghanistan. Warring militant factions killed hundreds of people in his village. Ali helped identify and bury dozens of his friends and neighbors in a mass grave.

We spent days and nights in the mountains and blocked on the borders. I crossed the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan walking with my handicap. Then it took us another sixteen hours to cross the border between Pakistan and Iran, also in very high mountains of more than 2500 meters. The Iranian police were killing people on the …

Madrassas: The Evolution (Or Devolution?) Of The Islamic Schools In South Asia (1857-Present), Samir Husain

Honors Papers

This project traces the evolution of the Islamic Deobandi madrassas from their creation during the British colonial period in India to present day Pakistan and Afghanistan. The goal is to argue that these madrassas turned to militancy due to regional political factors. This is done by examining the madrassas in three periods; the British colonial period, the Soviet-Afghan War period, and the years when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan. Using these eras, the thesis argues that the madrassas were radicalized due to external actors. This radicalization can be seen by comparing the actions of the madrassas at each …

Post Awesome, Chip Lauterbach

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Marine in Afghanistan returns from a battle, eager to speak with his wife; he can't reach her, and his heart sinks in worry.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may …