The unprecedented terrorist attacks on  September 11th, 2001 aimed at
targets within the United States prompted the coalition War on
Terrorism against the Taliban controlled Afghanistan regarded as the
virtual headquarters of global terrorism led by Osama bin Laden and
his Al Qaeda terrorist network who are implicated in carrying out the
attacks. Why these attacks on New York city, Pentagon and
Pennsylvania?  Who did it and Why?  Why and how did Afghanistan become
a Global Terrorism Inc.?   Is the rise of Taliban movement in
Afghanistan, as a contemporary phenomena unique?   How is the problem
terrorism conceptualized and explained by the government officials and
media experts in the U.S.?  What are the root causes of the problem of
terrorism?  What role, if any, does religion/civilization, especially
Islamic fundamentalism play in the current tensions?  Will the War on
Terrorism work?  Why or why not?  What are some alternative solutions
to the problem of terrorism which are not being considered and why?
This course will critically examine these and related questions by
focusing on the history, society, economy and political culture of
Afghanistan as a multi-ethnic modern nation-state which has been
ravaged by a century of internal colonialism, and most recently by
foreign invasions, proxy wars and global terrorism.

Required Texts:

Maley, William ed. Fundamentalism Reborn?: Afghanistan and the
Taliban.London: Hurst & Company

Rashid, Ahmed Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in
Central Asia.  New haven and London: Yale University Press.

Course Requirements:

There will be two examinations.  All exams will be of the essay type,
consisting of short-answer questions and longer essays. Each
examination will be worth 50 points and course grade will be based on
100 cumulative points. Graduate students are also required to write a
10-15 pages (double-spaced type written) long term paper due on the
last day of class.