Despite what they insisted as they swept through Afghanistan, the Taliban appear to have remained largely the same since the days they rul...
Despite what they insisted as they swept through Afghanistan, the Taliban appear to have remained largely the same since the days they ruled the roost in the 1990s. But Afghan society has changed tremendously since they were ousted by the United States-led invasion in 2001. This is shown by the level of civil resistance observed in the past few weeks, a resistance that has been primarily spearheaded by women.
Such resistance, particularly at a critical time when the Taliban are under the gaze of the international community, is testing the militant group’s claim and ability to govern “fairly” in a changed society. Over the past 20 years, a generation of Afghans has grown up in a country becoming increasingly well-connected to the rest of the world. This generation has led a lifestyle significantly different from what previous generations experienced.
Changing Afghan society
Thanks to the development of a vibrant and independent news media, political and social awareness among the general public, particularly young people, has increased significantly. Politicians being critiqued for their policies and held accountable by the media had become normal. Freedom of association enabled the formation of formal and informal organisations centred on interests ranging from arts and music to religion and politics.
It was, in brief, a new Afghanistan – one that...
