A Concise History of the Arabs

This paper is an attempt to analyse the contentious role of drone strikes in the context of the options available in the on-going fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and the Af-Pak region. There are significant legal issues here, both in terms of human rights and in terms of state sovereignty and independence, though there are those who argue that the concept of a “just war” provides adequate justification. Pragmatists focus on effectiveness. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, there are many individuals who lend their support to the drone attacks because they see no other alternative(s), given that the prospects for dialogue seems so unpromising. But however many jihadist leaders are killed, in drone strikes, other effective counter-insurgency action may provide a better option.     

Tribes,states and anthropologists

Nomads and the Outside World by A.M. Khazanov, translated by Julia Crookenden with a foreword by Ernest Gellner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Pp. xxvii + 369. £37.50.

The Conflict of Tribe and State in Iran and Afghanistan edited by Richard Tapper. London: Croom Helm, 1983, Pp. 463. £19.95.

Khans and Shahs. A Documentary Analysis of the Bakhtiyari in Iran by Gene R. Garthwaite. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Pp. xiii + 213,, plus microfiche. £25.00.