Dorronsoro Gilles. Revolution Unending: Afghanistan 1979 to the Present

London: C. Hurst, 2005. - 370 p.Having traveled and researched in Afghanistan since 1988, Gilles Dorronsoro has developed a rich and nuanced understanding of the country's history and people. In Revolution Unending he draws on his extensive firsthand experience to consider the political, historical, economic, and ethnic factors that will influence Afghanistan's future. He argues that U.S. optimism about Afghanistan following Western intervention and recent elections fails to appreciate the divisions that continue to define the country.While not underestimating the oft-cited "ethnic factor" in Afghan politics, especially Pashtun dominance, Dorronsoro argues that class and the competition for employment and education are key factors in explaining the country's recent past. The 1990s saw the triumph of religious authorities (the ulema) and the marginalization of the traditional elites. With coalition intervention in 2001 and the subsequent deposition of the ulema-dominated Taliban, the educated elites are back in power. However, as Dorronsoro argues, patching up the country by means of short-term ethnic alliances and a new division of the spoils will only perpetuate the schisms in society. The Afghan civil war, Dorronsoro suggests, is set to continue and perhaps worsen over time.Contents:Pt I. The origins of the Afghan revolution1. The sociogenesis of the Afghan state2. From mobilisation to revolutionPt II. Mobilisations3. The commandersThe Jihadi partiesPt III. The dynamics of confrontation5. The Kabul regime6. The guerrillasPt IV. The Taliban7. Competition and the impetus towards monopoly (1922-2001)8. The ethnicisation of the conflict9. The clerical statePt V. The American invasion and the return of fragmentation10. 'A splendid little war'?11. The return to political fragmentation12. The policy of PakistanConclusion