The Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan.

• Author: Hartley, Scott E.
• Position: FURTHER READING - Book review

THE TALIBAN AND THE CRISIS OF AFGHANISTAN

Robert D. Crews, Amin Tarzi, eds.

(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2008), 430 pages.

Robert Crews and Amin Tarzi's The Taliban and the Crisis af Afghanistan consists of a compilation of eight essays from leading scholars of history, politics and society. It offers a composite perspective on the historical and political evolution of the Taliban in Afghanistan, focused on the internal political dynamics that underpin external observations of change.

The book frames observation of the Taliban within the context of Afghanistan's geography, noting the varied topographies that exist across eight climatic zones. From the bayonet peaks of the Hindu Kush to the arid deserts of Kandahar, historical, ethnic, linguistic and religious pluralities make Afghanistan both rich and complex. The authors establish that identities are rarely simple in Afghanistan.

Each of the eight essays traces the rise of the Taliban from its inception in 1994, uniformly highlighting that the name Taliban as a static term fails to describe a dynamic movement. In Kandahar Province, the Taliban gained local support when Mullah Mohammad Omar and his band of madrassah students liberated a fleet of Pakistani...