Afghanistan: 12 Years of Violence

How many Americans even remembered that there still was a war going on in Afghanistan when President Bush declared the major fighting over in Iraq this May? It looks like history is about to repeat: outsider nations have short-term interest in Afghanistan when it's suitable for proxy wars (U.S. and the Muhajadeen vs. the U.S.S.R., for example) and completely lose interest (and principle) when it's just a matter of boring ongoing civil wars. The latter led to the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s--those fun-hating religious hardline “students” who brought about much-desired law and order at the expense of women, minorities, and anyone with an education. Since their most famous guest was Osama bin Laden, Afghanistan re-entered American consciousness after 9/11. Today, with bin Laden still not captured and American-backed President Hamid Karzai little more than the President of Kabul, American policy makers have once again lost interest in this brutalized country. This fine BBC production, which combines contemporary and archival footage with interview clips to explore Afghanistan's sorry recent past, may be too advanced for many high school students, but would be suitable for high school honors courses, colleges, and public libraries. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)