Part of Tehran’s outreach to the Taliban has been to blame Afghanistan’s chaos on the US. But, past events suggest that the Taliban is no friend of Iran.
Afghanistan is not the graveyard of empires, it is the graveyard of strategy.
The lack of domination structures through which imperial or state power can be exerted strains, and renders futile, the capabilities of the occupying force.
We still do not know exactly how the Taliban will rule Afghanistan. Yet, experience suggests that many Afghans have much to fear – especially women and the Shi’a.
Astonishment at the fall of Kabul reflect habits of imperial abstraction, moral displacement and hubris that are prefigured in Thucydides writings about ancient Greece.
An earlier, more liberal, Afghanistan possessed strong female figures and dynamic student societies in a civil society accustomed to the concept of protest.
The Afghanistan conflict has provided the necessary dynamics of instability without stable institutions, making it an inviting strategic space for competing parties.
Whether or not America’s allies are willing to go along with Biden and bet on America’s enlightened return is the critical question in the wake of Afghanistan’s fall.
The lesson of Afghanistan seen through the eyes of Gandhi is that one cannot expect that peace, stability, nationalism, and conflict resolution can be enforced through violence.
Malejacq’s book presents a lively and detailed narrative of four significant ‘warlords’ and how they demonstrate the failings of external statebuilding in Afghanistan.
Before you download your free e-book, please consider donating to support open access publishing.
E-IR is an independent non-profit publisher run by an all volunteer team. Your donations allow us to invest in new open access titles and pay our bandwidth bills to ensure we keep our existing titles free to view. Any amount, in any currency, is appreciated. Many thanks!
Donations are voluntary and not required to download the e-book - your link to download is below.
