After the secret treaty with Russia had been signed, King Amir only relaxed temporarily; in truth, he distrusted all Western countries and had formed an alliance with the Russians purely out of compulsion.
As the power struggle in Central Asia began between Britain and Russia, Afghanistan, being a small nation, simply lacked the strength to remain neutral and had to make a choice.
To speak frankly, neither Britain nor Russia was a good choice, as both were eyeing Afghanistan's territory.
The Russians' friendliness was merely because their reach did not extend so far yet; by aligning with Afghanistan, they could not only create problems for the British but most importantly, increase the success rate of their southern strategy.
It was precisely because they could not reach that King Amir could confidently and boldly ally with the Russians. If Russia were really his neighbor, King Amir would not dare to sign the treaty.
