Publication

The fate of the US AfPak policy currently hangs in the balance and it is clear that the success or failure of the policy will be heavily shaped by how the Pashtuns respond to its inducements. Therefore, the first part of this paper focuses on the Pashtuns. It begins with a survey of the geographic, historical and cultural factors which have shaped Pashtun identities in Afghanistan and Pakistan before going on to describe the political and security arrangements under which they currently live. The paper then reviews the Pashtun armed militant groups currently operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The second part of the paper then looks at the US AfPak policy, setting out its origins and evolution before assessing the prospects for success over the coming year and beyond.