Afghanistan is a very complex place. Located where Asia and the Middle East meet, it has been strategically important since the time of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC. Rich in gemstones, minerals, agricultural products, carpets, poetry, art, and other valuable commodities, Afghanistan has always been an important crossroads for the exchange of culture and trade. In more recent times its proximity to the Persian Gulf and Middle Eastern oil has lent it enormous economic and geopolitical value. It also is a tribal society that lives in a very inhospitable landscape. Because of its strategic importance, several nations (including Russia, later the Soviet Union, and Great Britain) attempted to colonize Afghanistan and failed. Because of this history and because of their tribal (and perhaps to a lesser extent national) pride the Afghan people are fierce and independent. They have never tried to dominate another country, but they would die gladly to keep from being dominated.