--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pashtun nationalism is reasserting…" description: "\"Pashtun nationalism is reasserting itself. Its political history spans several hundred years. The Pashtuns are angry at the Americans because, one, the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ahmed-rashid-19311_angry_pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itsel_526046.jpg" --- # Pashtun nationalism is reasserting itself. Its political… ![“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 bombed, and two, they perceive that the Americans are backing the Tajik faction, which controls the army and security forces in…” quote by Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ahmed-rashid-19311_angry_pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itsel_526046.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ahmed-rashid-19311_angry_pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itsel_526046.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ahmed-rashid-19311_angry_pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itsel_526046.jpg) > “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 bombed, and two, they perceive that the Americans are backing the Tajik faction, which controls the army and security forces in Kabul.” [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pashtun nationalism resurfaces amid perceived foreign oppression and internal political rivalries. **In simple terms:** Nationalism rises from oppression and political tension. Key Takeaway Recognize the roots of regional conflict. Themes politics nationalism conflict foreign policy Mood analytical serious Type political historical When to use this quote - diplomacy - humanitarian aid - media analysis - policy making Key Concepts history geopolitics Questions to Reflect On - How can external actors support peace? - What role does history play in current tensions? A Different Perspective Complex alliances make simple narratives insufficient. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Factions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factions/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Kabul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kabul/) [Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism/) [Pashtun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pashtun-2140846/) [Pashtun Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pashtun-nationalism-4430191/) [Pashtuns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pashtuns/) [Pashtuns Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pashtuns-angry-4430192/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-history/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Security forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security-forces/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Pashtuns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-pashtuns-4430193/) ## Related quotes > [The Pashtun tribes are always engaged in private or public war. Every man is a warrior, a politician and a theologian Every large house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-pashtun-tribes-are-always-engaged-in-private-or-public-war-every/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The Pashtuns feel discriminated against by the Americans because they supported the Taliban and the war is still going on in their region with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-pashtuns-feel-discriminated-against-by-the-americans-because-they/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [We should remember that the Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Of course, many of them did support the Taliban. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/we-should-remember-that-the-pashtuns-are-the-largest-ethnic-group-in/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [What everyone underestimated was the acute unpopularity of the Taliban, even in the Pashtun areas. People like myself were saying the Taliban would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/what-everyone-underestimated-was-the-acute-unpopularity-of-the/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [I have observed Afghani people and their Urdu is not as chaste as it should be and that reflects in the way they speak.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukul-dev/i-have-observed-afghani-people-and-their-urdu-is-not-as-chaste-as-it/) [Mukul Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukul-dev/) > [I am very clear that Pashtun rights should be provided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reham-khan/i-am-very-clear-that-pashtun-rights-should-be-provided/) [Reham Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reham-khan/) > [Pakistan is a peace loving, democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/pakistan-is-a-peace-loving-democratic-country-pashtuns-want-education/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [The Pashtuns in particular are kind of trapped. They've never accepted the Durand Line nor has any Afghan government historically accepted it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-pashtuns-in-particular-are-kind-of-trapped-they-ve-never-accepted/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low-set ears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/never-mind-that-to-me-the-face-of-afghanistan-is-that-of-a-boy-with-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“We Pashtuns are split between Pakistan and Afghanistan and don’t really recognize the border that the British drew more than 100 years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-pashtuns-are-split-between-pakistan-and-afghanistan-and-don-t/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward from here, from the land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginning-to-decay-and-that-its/) [Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/) > [I am involved in the land of a leonine and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-am-involved-in-the-land-of-a-leonine-and-brave-people-where-every/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [In countries other than Pakistan - I won't necessarily call them 'Western' - people support me. This is because people there respect others. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/in-countries-other-than-pakistan-i-won-t-necessarily-call-them/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [“In Our Villages - You killed thousands by thousands, after each thousand, You are killing another one thousand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abed-rahmani/in-our-villages-you-killed-thousands-by-thousands-after-each-thousand/) [Abed Rahmani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abed-rahmani/) > [Oh East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-east-is-east-and-west-is-west-and-never-the-twain-shall-meet/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) ## More by Ahmed Rashid > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/you-have-a-lot-of-suspicion-from-the-neighbors-of-afghanistan-about-u/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/america-does-not-hold-to-the-colonial-tradition-america-came/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-idea-of-a-permanent-u-s-military-presence-in-afghanistan-as/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [“Afghanistan is not only the mirror of the Afghans: it is the mirror of the world. 'If you do not like the image in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/afghanistan-is-not-only-the-mirror-of-the-afghans-it-is-the-mirror-of/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [There is no way the Americans are going to be able to carry out a full scale war against Iraq and at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/there-is-no-way-the-americans-are-going-to-be-able-to-carry-out-a/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [Our Pakistan elites are spoiled by permanent foreign aid and therefore find it difficult to change course. Pakistan needs someone who stands up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/our-pakistan-elites-are-spoiled-by-permanent-foreign-aid-and/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [“Within a few short, dramatic months Afghanistan had been catapulted into the centre of the intensified Cold War between the Soviet Union and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/within-a-few-short-dramatic-months-afghanistan-had-been-catapulted/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [I am confident that there are hedge funds, banks or investment companies that could allocate five percent of their portfolios for risky investments. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-am-confident-that-there-are-hedge-funds-banks-or-investment/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The Pashtuns feel discriminated against by the Americans because they supported the Taliban and the war is still going on in their region with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-pashtuns-feel-discriminated-against-by-the-americans-because-they/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-think-within-a-year-or-so-perhaps-if-9-11-had-not-happened-in/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [We should remember that the Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Of course, many of them did support the Taliban. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/we-should-remember-that-the-pashtuns-are-the-largest-ethnic-group-in/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [What everyone underestimated was the acute unpopularity of the Taliban, even in the Pashtun areas. People like myself were saying the Taliban would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/what-everyone-underestimated-was-the-acute-unpopularity-of-the/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The Soviets held to the tradition of colonialism. They raped the country and killed many people. But they also built dams, electrical power plants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-soviets-held-to-the-tradition-of-colonialism-they-raped-the/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [ I met a lot of the senior Taliban, and I asked them precisely \[about Mullah Omar\]. The most common answer was he is humble.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-met-a-lot-of-the-senior-taliban-and-i-asked-them-precisely-about/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The West would be well advised to change its approach towards failing states. At present, no major power can find the correct ways and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-west-would-be-well-advised-to-change-its-approach-towards-failing/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) [Explore all 33 Ahmed Rashid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) ## More Angry quotes > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) [Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/) > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. 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Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pashtun nationalism is reasserting itself. Its political history spans several hundred years. 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