Reviews

The article considers the failed attempts by Amir Amanullah and Mohammed Daud to promote reform in Afghanistan, before sketching the early origins of the Taliban in the madrassahs of Pakistan, the realities of Pushtun identity and the process of radicalisation of the Taliban administration after 9/11. The nature of their current support base is evaluated in the context of the methods used by the Coalition forces and the performance of the Afghan Government. The conclusion is that the best hope of a solution lies in some sort of negotiated settlement, but the social space for any deal is very restricted, given the conservatism of the vast majority of Afghans. This is an expanded version of a presentation he gave to members of the Society on 14 January 2008.