First Impression

Last week, I was invited with two of my friends to speak at a high school, here in Illinois. I was asked to talk about the rise of the Taliban; they shared their experience as counterinsurgents. The idea really was to try to convey to high school seniors what Afghanistan is really like, or at least to give them a taste of what it’s like. Then, the very next day, my students and I ended up talking about how hard it is for them (and people in general) to fathom what spending time in a war zone really entails, and how hard it is for those who go to Iraq or Afghanistan to describe. Those two discussions reminded me of a short article I wrote (in French) right after I came back from my first trip to Afghanistan, in which I actually try to do just that: share my first experience in a conflict-ridden country. I thought I would post it, for those who can read, or at least decipher French:
A Kaboul, une violence incomprehensible vue d’Occident

About Afghanopoly

I am an Assistant Professor of peace and conflict studies at Radboud University's Centre for International Conflict Analysis and Management (CICAM). I completed my PhD in Political Science at Northwestern University and Sciences Po under the supervision of Will Reno and Bertrand Badie. Among other things, I teach students about the politics of international intervention in Afghanistan and elsewhere. My research focuses on the political strategies that Afghan strongmen use to consolidate and legitimize their authority. I am particularly interested in how these actors manage to conduct their own forms of international relations. My field research brings me in contact with Afghan community leaders, politicians, diplomats and foreign military officers.

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One Response to First Impression

Garrick Pierrefeu says:

November 30, 2012 at 4:05 pm

Des questions de fonds qui sont soulevées, le tout avec une belle plume..merci