| Summary/Abstract |
The article provides a retrospective analysis of the successive events that took place in Afghanistan since the exit of the Soviet troops from the country in the nineties and the first takeover by the Taliban. Sanjiv Langer explains why and how that Pashtoon Sunni fundamentalist militia, trained and supported by the Pakistani intelligence and military leadership, survived the US-led invasion and twenty years of occupation by the ISAF, eventually forcing the Americans to negotiate with them and agree to leave by August 30th. The inefficient and corrupt regime installed by the western powers in Kabul was never able to hold sway over the nation and the Afghan National Army lacked the training, discipline and motivation to resist the well planned onslaught of the Taliban. The resulting situation is confusing and does not augur well for the future of the wider region, exposed to consequences of the armed militancy that has overrun Afghanistan once again.
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