ABSTRACT
Afghanistan has often been referred to as the “Highway of Conquest”. Its geographic position and relatively unprotected borders have meant that countless invaders have come through on their way to the rich, fertile plains of neighbouring India. From Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC to Genghis Khan in the thirteenth century and later the British and Russians, countless invaders have utilized the country to further their own aims. This long and chequered history of conquest and war, coupled with the fragmented, tribal nature of the Afghan state, brings into focus how in 2001 Afghanistan became the launching point for what is arguably the worst assault on the American homeland in the history of the Republic.
