12. Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s 20th-century history was marked by profound upheavals. In 1919, the Third Anglo-Afghan War led to Afghanistan’s full independence from British influence. The Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion aimed to support a faltering communist regime, resulting in a decade-long conflict with the Afghan mujahideen (history.com). The war caused an estimated one to three million Afghan deaths and displaced millions more. Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, Afghanistan descended into civil war, leading to the rise of the Taliban in 1996. The legacy of these conflicts continues to affect Afghanistan’s social and political landscape.
