Negotiating Cultural Diversity in Afghanistan

Negotiating Cultural Diversity in Afghanistan
Author: Omar Sadr
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2020-01-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000760901

This book analyses the problematique of governance and administration of cultural diversity within the modern state of Afghanistan and traces patterns of national integration. It explores state construction in twentieth-century Afghanistan and Afghan nationalism, and explains the shifts in the state’s policies and societal responses to different forms of governance of cultural diversity. The book problematizes liberalism, communitarianism, and multiculturalism as approaches to governance of diversity within the nation-state. It suggests that while the western models of multiculturalism have recognized the need to accommodate different cultures, they failed to engage with them through intercultural dialogue. It also elaborates the challenge of intra-group diversity and the problem of accommodating individual choice and freedom while recognising group rights and adoption of multiculturalism. The book develops an alternative approach through synthesising critical multiculturalism and interculturalism as a framework on a democratic and inclusive approach to governance of diversity. A major intervention in understanding a war-torn country through an insider account, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, especially those concerned with multiculturalism, state-building, nationalism, and liberalism, as well as those in cultural studies, history, Afghanistan studies, South Asian studies, Middle East studies, minority studies, and to policymakers.

Taliban Narratives

Taliban Narratives
Author: Thomas H. Johnson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 0190840609

Shines a light on the Taliban's propaganda arm and its impact on the course of the war in Afghanistan.

Pashtun Traditions versus Western Perceptions

Pashtun Traditions versus Western Perceptions
Author: Leo Karrer
Publisher: Graduate Institute Publications
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2012-12-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 2940503117

Cross-cultural interactions take place every day in contemporary Afghanistan between locals and the thousands of foreigners working in the country as diplomats, officials from international organisations and humanitarian aid workers. As their work requires them to interact with Afghans in manifold ways, all foreigners are, at least indirectly, required to negotiate. Karrer’s ePaper sheds light on the cross-cultural issues likely to contribute to the difficulties encountered by the international community in negotiating with Afghans, as well as for Afghans negotiating with foreigners. Through an analysis of academic literature, Karrer broadly outlines selected elements of Pashtun, in contrast to Western, negotiation culture, discusses the extent to which this negotiation culture may be attributed to Pashtun tradition, and attempts to highlight the complexity of Afghan negotiation behaviour against the binary indexing predominant in the preconceived cluster of Western cross-cultural negotiation and communication theories. Karrer’s research yields some significant insights into the impacts of cross-cultural issues on negotiation. Largely, he finds that current cross-cultural theories fail to provide a solid basis upon which to interpret the reality that exists on the ground in Afghanistan. This Paper draws on a final research work submitted to fulfil the requirements of the Executive Master in International Negotiation and Policy-Making (INP). The views and opinions expressed in this ePaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position position of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

The Afghanistan Wars

The Afghanistan Wars
Author: William Maley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2020-11-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1352011018

A whole generation has grown up in Afghanistan knowing little but the ravages of war. The dramatic overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001 was simply one event in a series of interrelated struggles which have blighted ordinary people's lives over the last three decades, and which continue to interfere with reconciliation and reconstruction. This new edition of The Afghanistan Wars provides a meticulously-documented history of these successive waves of conflict. From the roots of Afghanistan's slide into disorder in the late 1970s to the challenges faced by Afghan leaders following the substantial withdrawal of international forces in 2014, it explores military and diplomatic history while also offering valuable insight on humanitarian action, gender, medical and cultural themes. Thoroughly revised in the light of the latest research, the third edition also features a new final chapter which examines recent developments in Afghanistan, bringing the story up to the present day and mounting a strong case for continuing support for this troubled country. New to this Edition: - A final chapter on the recent developments in Afghanistan up to the present day - Revised to take into account the considerable amount of new material published on this topic since 2009 - Refreshed and updated throughout

The Decline and Fall of Republican Afghanistan

The Decline and Fall of Republican Afghanistan
Author: Ahmad Shuja Jamal
Publisher: Hurst Publishers
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2023-02-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1805260669

The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 was the result of declining active support for the government, and of waste and inefficiency in aid delivery. Yet, while corrosive, these problems were not in themselves sufficient to have brought about a collapse. To a significant degree, they were the result of early failings in institutional design, reflecting an American inclination to pursue short-term policy approaches that created perverse incentives⁠—thus interfering with the long-term objective of stability. This book exposes the true factors underpinning Kabul’s fall. The Afghan Republic came under relentless attack from Taliban insurgents who depended critically on Pakistani support. It also suffered a creeping invasion that put the government on the back foot as the US tried and failed to deal with Pakistan’s perfidy. The fatal blow came when bored US leaders naively cut an exit deal with the enemy, fatally compromising the operation of the Afghan army and air force and triggering the final collapse, with top leaders at odds over whether to make a final stand in Kabul. The Afghan Republic did not simply decline and fall. It was betrayed.

Reading across Borders

Reading across Borders
Author: Aria Fani
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2024-04-09
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1477328831

The dynamic and interconnected ways Afghans and Iranians invented their modern selves through literature. Contrary to the presumption that literary nationalism in the Global South emerged through contact with Europe alone, Reading across Borders demonstrates how the cultural forms of Iran and Afghanistan as nation-states arose from their shared Persian heritage and cross-cultural exchange in the twentieth century. In this book, Aria Fani charts the individuals, institutions, and conversations that made this exchange possible, detailing the dynamic and interconnected ways Afghans and Iranians invented their modern selves through new ideas about literature. Fani illustrates how voluntary and state-funded associations of readers helped formulate and propagate "literature" as a recognizable notion, adapting and changing Persian concepts to fit this modern idea. Focusing on early twentieth-century periodicals with readers in Afghan and Iranian cities and their diaspora, Fani exposes how nationalism intensified—rather than severed—cultural contact among two Persian-speaking societies amidst the diverging and competing demands of their respective nation-states. This interconnected history was ultimately forgotten, shaping many of the cultural disputes between Iran and Afghanistan today.

Democracy in South Asia

Democracy in South Asia
Author: Aijaz Ashraf Wani
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2024-09-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1040125506

This volume examines the state of democracy in South Asia after the first two decades of the millennium. It shows how the inroads made by democracy that surged through South Asia at the turn of the century stands at the crossroads after two decades. The Taliban regaining strength in Afghanistan, tricky civil-military relations in Pakistan, the political stand-off in Nepal, as well as the undermining of civil rights in other countries point to the deepening challenges to democracy in the region. At the same time the region presents many positives to be taken forward and opportunities to be carried forward. The chapters in the volume map the gains made and challenges faced by every South Asian country, especially since 2000. Going beyond the usual regional powers like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the volume includes detailed analysis of the state of democracy and future trajectories of Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldives. The volume will be of great interest to scholars, researchers and students of politics and international relations and South Asian studies.

Constitutional Law and the Politics of Ethnic Accommodation

Constitutional Law and the Politics of Ethnic Accommodation
Author: Bashir Mobasher
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2023-12-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1003806147

This book explores whether the legal and political institutions of Afghanistan were able to incorporate diverse ethnic groups into the political process. Ethnic accommodation has gained central stage in the literature on institutional design and democratic consolidation. However, some divided societies are more explored than others, and Afghanistan is one understudied country that is critically important for testing and improving our theories of institutional design in a democratizing, plural society. This work examines the Constitution of 2004 and those provisions of electoral laws and political party laws that together devised Afghan political institutions including those of the presidential system, unitary government, electoral systems as well as the party system. It argues that due to their incongruence in design and effects, the Afghan political institutions failed to fully accommodate ethnic groups in the political process. This book adopts a holistic approach, while also paying careful attention to the details of each of the individual pieces of political institutions designed by the Constitution of 2004. Taken together, this approach yields insights into the boundaries and interactions of institutional design and how their interactions hinder or advance ethnic accommodation in varying contexts. The book will be essential reading for academics, researchers and policy makers interested in constitutional law and politics.

The State, Religion, and Ethnic Politics

The State, Religion, and Ethnic Politics
Author: Ali Banuazizi
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Total Pages: 412
Release: 1988-08-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780815624486

"Contributors to the volume are established scholars in their fields and successfully focus on the pertinent issues with a good mix of facts, analysis, and theoretical orientation. The contributions are pertinent and valuable to students of comparative politics generally, as well as to specialists on the selected countries."-Choice