Recovering the Frontier State
War, Ethnicity, and the State in Afghanistan
By (author) Rasul Bakhsh Rais
Publication date:
20 March 2008Length of book:
252 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
239x163mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780739109564
This book examines the prospects for rebuilding state and nation in Afghanistan with regard to "Operation Enduring Freedom" carried out by the international coalition. It starts off by delineating the conceptual basis of Afghanistan's status as a frontier state. Looking at geo—strategic aspects Afghanistan's position as an historical buffer between empires and its internal characteristics-—weak authority structure, internal conflicts, interventions by neighbors, legitimacy of internal conquest, and trans-national ethnicities, the book provides insights into the unique geo-political context of Afghanistan. Whilst the author deems the legacy of the previous intervention for containment as a major contributing factor to the disorder in Afghanistan's state and society, he draws on lessons from the past intervention to assuage current obstacles and stalemate that is hindering political, social, and economic development in Afghanistan.
Focusing on the impediments to development in Afghanistan, the background against which the problem needs to be analyzed, and consequently countered, is effectively set out. Incessant war and insurgency has led to mobilization along ethnic and religious lines in Afghanistan and has had profound effects on the kinds of intuitions that have perpetuated over time. Ethnic and religious groups have applied constant pressure on the state and this dissonance has had enduring negative consequences on nation building, social cohesion, and state-society relationships. Pre-emptive and reactive intervention by neighboring states and their links to ethnic groups inside Afghanistan is another dimension which is analyzed. An extensive exploration into the geo-political history of social groups of Afghanistan with an intensive account of the rise of various power contenders as a function of their history, their links with external actors, and their traditional position in the indigenous vertical hierarchy are made. Unconventional war and counter-insurgency operations funded by foreign and loca
Focusing on the impediments to development in Afghanistan, the background against which the problem needs to be analyzed, and consequently countered, is effectively set out. Incessant war and insurgency has led to mobilization along ethnic and religious lines in Afghanistan and has had profound effects on the kinds of intuitions that have perpetuated over time. Ethnic and religious groups have applied constant pressure on the state and this dissonance has had enduring negative consequences on nation building, social cohesion, and state-society relationships. Pre-emptive and reactive intervention by neighboring states and their links to ethnic groups inside Afghanistan is another dimension which is analyzed. An extensive exploration into the geo-political history of social groups of Afghanistan with an intensive account of the rise of various power contenders as a function of their history, their links with external actors, and their traditional position in the indigenous vertical hierarchy are made. Unconventional war and counter-insurgency operations funded by foreign and loca
Rasul Rais has written a thorough, complex analysis of the key issues that continue to torment Afghanistan. His recurring argument, one not often made so directly or clearly, is that too frequently the Taliban have been narrowly analyzed as a religious movement 'in the image of extremist Islamic political movements,' missing the fact that they have emerged from, and represent, Pashtun ethnic and political interests. Comparing today’s conflict with the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan, Rais argues that the 'present Taliban force is built around Afghan nationalism and its driving force is Pashtun ethnicity more than it was before the American war.' This study covers a full range of sources and offers experienced insight into the continued instability in Afghanistan.