ABSTRACT
With the defeat of the Communist regime in Afghanistan, it might have been thought that the mujahidin groups would have been sensible and responsible enough to combine in an effort to secure the country’s recovery and reconstruction. True to form, however, they did no more than contend with each other for power. They were divided by personal animosities and ambitions, as well as by tribal, ethnic and religious antipathies. Fighting soon broke out in and around Kabul, which was progressively reduced to ruins. Alliances were formed and reformed, cease-fires negotiated only to be broken. Efforts by the United Nations to broker a settlement proved futile. Afghanistan no longer being of interest in a Cold War context, nor indeed in any particular context at all, the international community did virtually nothing to assist. Afghanistan was left to stew in continuing strife and suffering.
