Rome became the most powerful state in the world by the first century BCE through a combination of military power, political flexibility, economic expansion, and more than a bit of good luck. This expansion changed the Mediterranean world and also changed Rome itself.
<span>as a force against Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda, or the Taliban, was a religious organization that first fought against the Soviets with the help of the US, but later turned against the US during the 2000s.
