Afghanistan is a country that has seen more devastation than prosperity, especially in the last 20 years. The resurgence of the Taliban and its cat-and-mouse game with the West has brought the once lively nation on the brink of starvation and decline. And it’s not just the story of the present times. Even in the early nineteenth century—be it the three Anglo-Afghan wars, or the skirmish between Afghanistan and Pakistan surrounding the Durand Line—the nation has seen much more bloodshed than any other country in Asia.