Rescuing Afghanistan (Briefings)

Afghanistan is the forgotten theatre of operations in the "War on Terrorism." Although it was rapidly eclipsed by the war in Iraq, it remains a key location in the struggle over the future of Muslim political life. Religious moderates, religious extremists, and nationalists of many kinds are striving to implement sharply differing visions of social and political life, and the outcome could send shockwaves to remote parts of the globe. William Maley, a long-time observer of Afghanistan, shows just how complex lthis struggle is. Moving far beyond the clumsy stereotypes that have too often permeated discussion of Afghan affairs, he explains that religious radicalism is a substantially alien force which has thrived only through external patronage or parasitic attachment to victims of large-scale social dislocation. Rescuing Afghanistan demonstrates that decades of confict have created an extremely challenging set of problems for the Afghan people and the wider world. It shows that only a determined, credible, long-term commitment from the wider world--of a type that is rarely if ever found--offers the prospect of rescuing Afghanistan from the dangers it faces.