Introduction continues…

Finally, the conclusion proposes workable responses to the Afghan conflict dynamics. It argues that failing to provide solutions to the root causes of the problems that generate conflict and war, will allow new conflict dynamics to undermine the peace process currently underway under international guidance. After proposing community peace- building, peace-building within a regional framework and federalist solutions, the book contends that unless an endogenous mechanisms for governance are developed, a symptomatic peace-building unrelated to the nuances of the society at large will not work in the case of Afghanistan.

Chapter- 2. Conflicts and Collapse of the Afghan State: A Backgrounder.

Afghanistan, stands as an “excellent case” with which to explore ‘weak state syndrome’.1 Several factors, historical, geo-political, ethnographic, political and economic are responsible for making it a weak as well as a conflict-prone state. Afghanistan has been subjected to countless invasions and incursions throughout its history leading to an indelible imprint on its territorial identity and marked social and demographic transformation. This has been largely a result of its geographic location since it is situated at the “crossroads of empires.” Apart from its geo- political location, the rugged topography isolate it internationally and magnify the distance between the people and the state and is also partially responsible for its lack of economic development. Afghanistan’s population is also divided by deep and multifaceted cleavage along ethnic, linguistic, and also sectarian, tribal and racial lines. Apart from these factors, Afghanistan’s location among meddlesome neighbours and the Cold War rivalry have all combined to help sustain Afghanistan as a ‘weak state’. This chapter explores the state of Afghanistan from a political and historical perspective and also touches upon the ethnic and geo-political factors to find out why and how Afghanistan has remained as a conflict- prone country and how the conflicts had led to the collapse of the Afghan state and political systems by the end of the 20th century.

To be continued..