Afghan Legal and Political History

In this course we will review the political and legal history of Afghanistan from before the first British-Afghan war to the present. We will examine the current sources of Afghan law, and explore the relevance of western law in light of Afghanistan’s historical struggle between the center and the periphery, and its culture of tribal loyalties, warlords, and political patronage. We will also consider the disastrous results of 35 years of war on most aspects of government, including the very idea of the rule of law. (Comparative Politics)/