To a large extent you are correct but the people living in "Afghanistan" have always had a pretty solid idea of what it is - or rather what it isn't.
It's not part of Russia, Iran/Persia, China or The British Empire/Pakistan.
Each tribal group seems to aspire to rule the whole lot - other tribal groups .... disagree and violently so. Loyalty seems to be bottom up rather than top down.
whatever it is they dislike foreigners more than their neighbours