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Geographic Data:

• Area: 249,935 sq. mi., slightly smaller than Texas
• Population: 28.5 million
• More than 3.5 million Afghans live outside the country, mainly in Pakistan and Iran
• Main ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani, Kizilbash
• Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%; Shi'a Muslim 19%; other 1%

Key Dates:

• 1747: Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of what is known today as Afghanistan comes to power
• 1839-42: First Anglo-Afghan wars
• 1878-80: Second Anglo-Afghan war
• 1880-1901: the British and Russians officially established the boundaries of what becomes modern Afghanistan
• 1919: Gains independence from United Kingdom
• 1919-1929: Reign of King Amanullah
• 1933-1973: Reign of King Zahar Shah
• 1973: King Zahar Shah deposed in coup and Marxist government established
• 1973-78: Mujahadeen fight to overthrow Marxist government
• 1979-1989: Soviet military forces invade and support government, U.S. aids groups waging war against the Marxist government
• 1980s: Taliban is formed in religious schools in Pakistan
• 1990s: Taliban forces capture 90 percent of the country; provide sanctuary to Osama bin Laden
• 1993: Fall of Najibullah (nationalist) regime
• 1996: Fall of Kabul to Taliban
• 2001: U.S. and allies overthrow Taliban regime
• 2004: A new constitution is drafted; Hamid Karzai is elected president

Main Points of Conflict:

• Involvement of foreign countries and groups (Soviet, American, Pakistani, Al-Qaeda, etc.)
• Ideological rivalries (secularists versus Muslims)
• Complicated ethnic patchwork of the country

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Geographic Data:

• Area: 51,129 sq. km, slightly smaller than West Virginia.
• Population: over 4 million
• Ethnic groups: Bosniak 48.3%, Serb 34 %, Croat 15.4%, others 2.3%.
• Religions: Muslim 40%; Orthodox 31%; Catholic 15%; Protestant 4%; other 10%

Key Dates:

• Circa 1200 A.D.: The medieval kingdom of Bosnia gains independence
• 1463: Ottoman Turks conquer Bosnia, ending its independence
• 1463-1878: Bosnia is under Ottoman rule
• Circa 1200 A.D.: The medieval kingdom of Bosnia gains independence
• 1463: Ottoman Turks conquer Bosnia, ending its independence
• 1463-1878: Bosnia is under Ottoman rule
• 1878: Bosnia is given to Austria-Hungary as a colony
• 1920s-1940s: After World War I, Bosnia becomes part of the South Slav state of Yugoslavia, then is given to Nazi-puppet Croatia in World War II
• 1945: Establishment of the Communist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito
• 1986: Rise to power of Serbian nationalist Slobodan Milosevic
• 1991: Slovenia and Croatia both declare independence from Yugoslavia
• 1992: Following a referendum, Bosnia's parliament declares the republic's independence. The move is opposed by Serb representatives, who favor remaining in Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serbs, supported by neighboring Serbia, respond with armed force in an effort to partition the republic along ethnic lines to create a "greater Serbia." Bosnia and Herzegovina are admitted to the United Nations
• 1994: Muslims and Croats in Bosnia sign an agreement creating the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 1995: The Dayton Peace Agreement includes a new constitution, now in force
• 1878: Bosnia is given to Austria-Hungary as a colony
• 1920s-1940s: After World War I, Bosnia becomes part of the South Slav state of Yugoslavia, then is given to Nazi-puppet Croatia in World War II
• 1945: Establishment of the Communist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito
• 1986: Rise to power of Serbian nationalist Slobodan Milosevic
• 1991: Slovenia and Croatia both declare independence from Yugoslavia
• 1992: Following a referendum, Bosnia's parliament declares the republic's independence. The move is opposed by Serb representatives, who favor remaining in Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serbs, supported by neighboring Serbia, respond with armed force in an effort to partition the republic along ethnic lines to create a "greater Serbia." Bosnia and Herzegovina are admitted to the United Nations
• 1994: Muslims and Croats in Bosnia sign an agreement creating the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 1995: The Dayton Peace Agreement includes a new constitution, now in force

Main Points of Conflict:

• Colonial past
• Complicated ethnic and religious makeup of the country
• It is estimated that the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-1995) resulted in the death of over 100,000 people (civilians and military), and the displacement of 1.8 million people.

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Geographic Data:

• Population: 3.8 million
• Size: 4,015 square miles, smaller than Connecticut
• Urban population: 88%
• Ethnic makeup: Ethnic groups: Arab 95%; Armenian 4%; other 1%
• Religion: 17 recognized sects: Muslim 59%; Christian 39%

Key Dates:

• 9^th-11^th centuries: Mount Lebanon established as a sanctuary for religious communities
• 1860-1864: First civil war between Maronites and Druze leads to foreign military intervention
• 1926: Modern Lebanon's constitution is established
• 1943: Gains independence
• 1920-1946: French mandate
• 1958: Internal crisis and the first U.S. military intervention
• 1975-1976: Civil war
• 1976: The Arab world sends an Arab Deterrent Force, which includes Syrian troops, to help separate the combatants
• 1982: Israel invades Lebanon to drive out the PLO
• 1980s: Outbreak of hostage taking, near collapse of the economy
• 1983-84: Destruction of U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks, killing 241 Marines
• 1989: The Ta'if Agreement marks the beginning of the end of the civil war
• 1990s: Withdrawal of Israeli forces; release of foreign hostages
• 2000s: Growing power of Hezbollah in Lebanese politics
• 2005: Former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri is assassinated; Syria withdraws military forces
• 2006: Israel attacks Lebanon to fight Hezbollah

Main Points of Conflict:

• No official census has been taken since 1932 as a result of political sensitivity over confessional (religious) balance
• 396,000 Palestinian refugees have registered with the U.N. since 1948
• It is estimated that more than 100,000 were killed, and another 100,000 left handicapped, during Lebanon's 16-year civil war (1975-1991)
• Up to one-fifth of the pre-war resident population, or about 900,000 people, were displaced from their homes, of whom perhaps 250,000 emigrated permanently
• The cleavages caused by the civil war and the various invasions have been made more difficult to manage by the multitude of sectarian conflicts and foreign influences

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Key Dates:

• 1897: Formation of the Zionist movement
• 1917: Balfour Declaration
• 1922-1948: British mandate over Palestine
• 1948: United Nations proposes partition of Palestine, Israel established and neighboring Arab states, rejecting the partition, attack Israel
• 1949: Armistices are signed by Israel with certain Arab states
• 1964: Formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
• 1967: The Six-Day War; Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula
• 1969-2004: Yasser Arafat is the leader of the PLO
• 1973: Yom Kippur War; Egypt and Syria attack Israel
• 1974: Arab states recognize the PLO as the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinians
• 1978: Egyptian-Israeli Framework for Peace in the Middle East signed at Camp David, mediated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter
• 1985: Jordanian-PLO accord on negotiations with Israel
• 1987: Formation of Hamas
• 1987: Intifada I (Palestinian uprising) begins
• 1988: U.S. and PLO enter into direct communications
• 1988: PLO announces that it would accept the existence of Israel and a two-state solution; Jordan gives up its claim over the West Bank
• 1991: Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid
• 1993: Secret Israeli-PLO meetings in Oslo, Norway, lead to the PLO and the Israeli government signing the Declaration of Principles agreement
• 1994: Israel and PLO agree to Palestinian 'self rule' in Gaza and Jericho
• 1994: Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin receive the Nobel Peace Prize
• 1995: Israel and PLO sign interim agreement to transfer control of major Palestinian populated areas in the occupied territories; in November, Rabin (Labor) assassinated by Israeli zealot
• 1996: Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud Party) elected Prime Minister, defeating Shimon Peres
• 1999: Ehud Barak (Labor Party) elected Prime Minister, defeating Netanyahu
• 2000: Camp David II negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian delegations, mediated by U.S. President Bill Clinton, fail to reach agreement and the Second Intifada begins
• 2001: Ariel Sharon (Likud) elected Prime Minister of Israel, defeating Barak
• 2003: Quartet issues: A Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In December, Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abd Rabbo release unofficial Geneva Accord
• 2004: Arafat dies
• 2005: Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) elected President of Palestinian National Assembly. In September, Israel withdraws unilaterally from Gaza Strip

Main Points of Conflict:

• The trinity of territory, security and peace
• Internal divisions within Israeli and Palestinian communities
• Unresolved issues: Status of Palestinian refugees and displaced peoples; status of Jerusalem and Israeli settlements

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Geographic Data:

• Area: 29,925 sq. mi., slightly smaller than South Carolina
• Population: over 5 million
• Ethnic groups: Temne 30%; Mende 30%; Krio 1%; balance spread over 15 other tribal groups and a small Lebanese community
• Religions: (est.) Muslim 60%; Christian 30%; animist 10%

Key Dates:

• 1652: First slaves in North America are brought from Sierra Leone to the Sea Islands off the coast of the southern United States
• 1700s: Thriving trade brings slaves from Sierra Leone to the plantations of South Carolina and Georgia
• 1787: British help 400 freed slaves from the United States, Nova Scotia, and Great Britain return to Sierra Leone to settle in what they call the "Province of Freedom. "Other groups of freed slaves join the settlement, which soon becomes known as Freetown
• 1792: Freetown becomes one of Britain's first colonies in West Africa
• 1961: Independence from Britain; Sierra Leone opts for a parliamentary system within the British Commonwealth
• 1967-68: A number of military coups take place
• 1968-1985: Siaka Stevens rules as head of state
• 1991: Constitution; a small band of men who call themselves the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) begin to attack villages in eastern Sierra Leone on the Liberian border.
• 1992: A group of young military officers stage a coup
• 1996: Presidential and parliamentary elections lead to the handover of power to a civilian government. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is elected president
• 1997: The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) overthrows President Kabbah and invites the RUF to join the government
• 1998: The junta is ousted by the Nigerian-led ECOMOG forces and the elected government of President Kabbah is reinstated.
• 1999: The RUF launches another attempt to overthrow the government leading to the death of thousands of people. ECOMOG forces drive back the RUF attack; President Kabbah and RUF leader negotiate the Lome Peace Agreement. The UN Security Council establishes the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) with an initial force of 6,000 (troops?)
• 2000: Almost immediately after ECOMOG forces depart, the RUF begins to violate the agreement by holding hundreds of UNAMSIL personnel hostage and capturing their arms and ammunition. The government arrests the leader of RUF and other senior members and strips the group of its positions in government. Since the fighting continues, Guinean forces enter Sierra Leone to attack RUF bases from which attacks had been launched against Liberian dissidents in Guinea.
• 2002: President Kabbah declares the civil war officially over. Some 72,000 ex-combatants are disarmed and demobilized, although many still await re-integration assistance. Both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, envisioned by the Lome Accord, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up by the UN to try those who "bear the greatest responsibility for the commission of crimes against humanity, war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law," begin to operate.

Main Points of Conflict:

• The involvement of the military in politics
• Accommodating various political parties and personalities
• Dealing with the legacy of war crimes