The Taliban Venture and the Lessons for Pakistan

Afghanistan presents an interesting case study of Pakistan's foreign policy dynamics through the over half a century of its existence. The stoiy traditionally begins when Pakistan emerged in 1947, with Afghanistan being the only country that voted against Pakistan's membership of the United Nations (UN). The latest in this saga is the ousting from power of the Taliban, the only government in Afghanistan's history that could be said to be friendly to Pakistan, albeit on their own terms, once they were able to seize and consolidate power with the active support of the government of Pakistan and some people on the extreme right.