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THE PLACE OF HERAT IN A MODERN AFGHANISTAN: LESSONS FROM THE MARCH 1979 UPRISING

It is often assumed that Herat is a backwater in Afghanistan's national politics. Many consider it to be merely a conduit for Iranian influence, and that it doesn't have the relevance of provinces such as Kandahar or Helmand. This analysis challenges these assumptions. The article looks at Herat's place in Afghan politics over the period from 1978 to 2014, with specific and detailed reference to the anti-Soviet 1979 uprising, examining the influence that actors such as the USSR, Iran, Peshawar and various mujahedeen factions have attempted to bring to bear on the city, and focusing on how despite these pressures the city has in many ways been a self-directed and autonomous player, often setting the lead in terms of Afghan national politics. Herat and Kabul relations have frequently been marked by suspicion, but the author argues that Herat is still an integrated part (even if not well integrated) of the Afghan polity, and its troubled relations with Kabul are of more moment than its relationship with Tehran.