America does not hold to the colonial tradition. America came, liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida, came to an arrangement with Hamid Karzai, wanted to organize elections as soon as possible and then withdraw. The Bush administration thought that… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share Image
You have a lot of suspicion from the neighbors of Afghanistan about U.S. intentions. Iran is already, to some extent, trying to undermine the… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
America does not hold to the colonial tradition. America came, liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida, came to an arrangement with Hamid Karzai,… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
The idea of a permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, as opposed to an economic presence, is going to create a new wave of… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
“Afghanistan is not only the mirror of the Afghans: it is the mirror of the world. 'If you do not like the image in… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
Pashtun nationalism is reasserting itself. Its political history spans several hundred years. The Pashtuns are angry at the Americans because, one, they're still being… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
There is no way the Americans are going to be able to carry out a full scale war against Iraq and at the same… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
Our Pakistan elites are spoiled by permanent foreign aid and therefore find it difficult to change course. Pakistan needs someone who stands up and… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
“Within a few short, dramatic months Afghanistan had been catapulted into the centre of the intensified Cold War between the Soviet Union and the… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
I am confident that there are hedge funds, banks or investment companies that could allocate five percent of their portfolios for risky investments. In… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
The Pashtuns feel discriminated against by the Americans because they supported the Taliban and the war is still going on in their region with… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
I think within a year or so, perhaps, if 9/11 had not happened, in Afghanistan would have been a very broad-based general uprising against… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
We should remember that the Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Of course, many of them did support the Taliban. But you… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
What everyone underestimated was the acute unpopularity of the Taliban, even in the Pashtun areas. People like myself were saying the Taliban would be… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
The Soviets held to the tradition of colonialism. They raped the country and killed many people. But they also built dams, electrical power plants,… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
I met a lot of the senior Taliban, and I asked them precisely [about Mullah Omar]. The most common answer was he is humble.… — Ahmed Rashid Copy Share
