Ethnic Politics and Peacebuilding in Afghanistan

Ethnic divisions have played a major role in Afghanistan’s politics since the initiation of the state-making process in the 1880s, which caused activation of ethnic boundaries. Ethnicity since then has been the main driving force behind the political developments throughout the modern history of Afghanistan. Today, the problematic state-society and the conflictual inter-ethnic relations are burdened by the country’s troubled past and aggravation of grievances that cast dark shadows over the future prospects of democratic political transition as well. However, despite these facts, ethnic politics have remained a marginal and a subsidiary discussion in the academia. This book, therefore, provides the first comprehensive account of ethnic politics and its impact on the current political process and the future direction of political developments in Afghanistan and attempts to explain how ethnic identity has turned into a major but destructive political force in Afghanistan’s politics and how ethnic competition has come to undermine the post-2001 political transition.