ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the issue of security in Afghanistan. Throughout most of author time in Afghanistan, the Taliban and other antigovernment groups targeted various Afghan government and coalition forces including North American Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, the International Security Assistance Force [ISAF], and various Western armies. The areas that posed the greatest threat to personal security were those with ongoing military action usually in the southern and eastern portions of the country. Because of the heavy military presence and the large number of insurgents, they could not move safely without armed guards, and the presence of armed guards could have compromised our neutrality. For a country like Afghanistan that had no infrastructure, massive chronic malnutrition, and a series of wars that included both invasions and civil strife, a social scientist dropped into this mess, even with language training, would miss critically important cultural markers.
