2015/01/12 by Kaushik Roy · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East
paper · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198099109.003.0004
openalex publication_date 2015/01/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The withdrawal of the Soviets resulted in bickering among the various mujahideen factions. Ultimately after a lengthy and chaotic civil war, the Taliban emerged supreme. The rise of the Taliban to a great extent was the ‘blow back’ effect of US policy towards the mujahideen during the 1980s. The Taliban’s symbiotic relationship with Al-Qaeda resulted in 9/11 which brought the world’s sole superpower, USA, into Afghanistan. History repeated itself. The USA like USSR and British empire won the conventional war but failed in the unconventional war. Meanwhile, the Taliban has resurrected itself like a phoenix rising from the ashes. And this has repercussions along the Af–Pak border. How long this massive infusion of foreign assets will continue is also questionable. It seems that there is no clear-cut formula for conducting a successful COIN in Afghanistan in particular and in the troubled spots of the world in general.