Local Politics in Afghanistan

From the nineteenth century to today, Afghanistan has contended with relentless foreign interventions and domestic political failures. External powers -- such as British India, the Soviet Union, Pakistan, and NATO -- have egregiously interfered in local affairs, and various Afghan governments, whether monarchical, Communist, Islamist, and ostensibly democratic, have meddled disastrously with the social order. The Afghan population nevertheless remains robustly resilient in the face of these upheavals, finding concrete ways to handle external influences while preserving the most valuable aspects of their political system. By shedding light on the dynamics of this phenomenon, the essays in this volume clarify both the complexities of Afghanistan's local political structure and the ways in which outside intervention either disturbs or reinforces the local social order. By freeing local politics from the false binary of romanticization and demonization, this collection provides a richer understanding of Afghan society and the role of social factors -- such as trust, solidarity, reciprocity, and patronage -- in the promotion of rational political objectives. The collection also explores the impact of intermediaries and local forums, such as "jirgas" and "shura," as they negotiate between local actors and external interventionists. -- Provided by publisher.