Rescuing Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the forgotten theatre of operations in the 'War on Terrorism'. Rapidly eclipsed by the war in Iraq, it nonetheless remains a key element in the struggle over the future of Muslim political life. Religious moderates, religious extremists and nationalists of various kinds are striving to give effect to sharply differing visions of social and political life. The outcome of this struggle could send shock-waves to remote parts of the globe. William Maley shows just how complex this struggle is. Moving far beyond the clumsy stereotypes which too often have corrupted 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. However, he also demonstrates that decades of conflict have created an extremely challenging set of problems for the Afghan people and the wider world, and that only determined, credible, long-term commitment from the wider world - of a type that is rarely if ever found - offers a reasonable prospect of rescuing Afghanistan from the dangers it continues to face.