The War in Afghanistan has been an all-consuming conflict for the United States government since we began launching airstrikes on October 7, 2001. This is a conflict that has been brewing since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This war brings with it the continuation of past conflicts, conflicts that can largely be linked to the interference of other great powers, such as the USSR. From keeping an eye on oil reserves, to pressuring Iran and maintaining the stability of Pakistan, our interests and motivations for occupying Afghanistan are undeniably intertwined with many ulterior motives, which present us with the problem of unfavorable opinions and of our interests which are the source of terrorist attacks. Afghanistan is a country that has been plagued by disorder and strong external control by those who are not of European descent since the first Anglo-Afghan War, and perhaps even before. Afghanistan is also a country that has faced internal conflicts in the form of civil war which have contributed to its instability. The current war in Afghanistan may be favored by some factors: the Afghan civil war, the invasion and withdrawal of the USSR. and the fall of the Afghan communist government. The Afghan civil war began when the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan took over the government in a bloody coup in April 1978. There were many internal conflicts between the PDPA government and the people. People began to resist this new government and the USSR took this as an opportunity to send their own troops to support their new potential satellite government. As a result, the rebellious Afghan people began to form a militarized resistance in the form of mujahideen who fought against the invading USSR. This paper stance has strengthened our weaknesses: terrorists' hatred of the West and our dependence on oil. This has caused a lot of conflict in the United States, from the bombing of our oil pipelines to receiving unfavorable opinions from the people we are trying to help. The conflict is not new and is a continuation of past conflicts, from the removal of Soviet troops to the civil wars in Afghanistan. With the internal conflict that this country is accustomed to facing, no one wins. Works Cited http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2010/0825_afghanistan_ohanlon.aspx http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2010/0825_afghanistan_ohanlon.aspx http://www.historyguy.com/war_in_afghani stan.htmlhttp ://www.defense.gov/pubs/OCTOBER_1230_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHI203A.htmlhttp://tribune.com.pk/story/79094/tapi-pipeline-to-benefit-afghanistan -us/