War and peace

For many centuries, when people in the poor and religious south of AfghanistanA mountainous Asian country, slightly larger than France, whose neighbours include Pakistan, Iran and China. needed help, they would turn to a talib. The word, borrowed from ArabicA language spoken in the Middle East and in parts of North Africa. There are roughly 375 million native Arabic speakers worldwide., means "student", but as well as studying a talib would teach, help people resolve arguments and comfort the dying.

So when, in 1994, a group of former students created a new militiaA military force made up of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers. in the southern city of KandaharAfghanistan's second largest city, found in Kandahar Province. , they took on the name taliban - the plural of talib in PashtoA language spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is the language of the Pashtuns, an Eastern Iranian ethnic group. . It was a reassuring name for those who relied on their local talib in life and death alike.

Within a few years, however, the rest of the world would come to fear the name "Taliban". After sweeping to power in 1996, they banned women from employment and education, inflicted harsh criminal penalties and massacred their opponents.

The group was toppled by NatoThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members. in 2001. But two years ago, after the chaotic withdrawal of Nato forces, they returned to power.

Many hoped the group might have become more moderate. The Taliban itself encouraged this idea, promising to preserve women's rights and offering amnestyAn official pardon for wrongdoing. Amnesty International is a charity dedicated to upholding human rights. to former opponents.

Instead they have imposed even stricter Islamic rule. Women have been barred from work and education. Over the weekend, members of the group were filmed burning musical instruments. In their fundamentalistBelieving in the strict, literal interpretation of a religious text. interpretation of Islam, music is banned.

So it is little wonder most western governments think it is impossible to work with the Taliban. Their Afghan state is still not recognised by any other country, and western nations have all withdrawn their embassies from KabulThe city became the capital of Afghanistan during the reign of Timur Shah Durrani, the second Afghan emir, in 1776..

Critics in the west say there is no point in trying to collaborate with a group that does not keep its word. It went back on most of the promises it made before it returned to power. It does not regard itself as bound by any treaties.

And, they say, it would be a moral crime to work with an organisation that is oppressing women and murdering opponents.

But others think this is naive. They say it is time to accept that the Taliban is here to stay.

Since 1919, Afghanistan has had 19 different national flags, more than any other country in the 20th Century.¹ That is the consequence of half a century of conflict that has seen governments rise and fall.

In the face of such instability, one value ranks above all others: order. Anyone who can end the chaos will be, if not welcomed, then at least tolerated as rulers of Afghanistan. 

That is how the Taliban has gained so much support: by suppressing gang violence, the drug trade and corruption. It is keeping Islamic StateA terrorist organisation that captured whole swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014, and launched a series of attacks in Europe and North America. It is also known as ISIS or ISIL. at bay. Order reigns. That means it is likely to stay in power.

So if we want to improve conditions for people in Afghanistan, some argue, we need to work with the Taliban.

Afghans, they say, cannot be persuaded to accept reforms imposed from above by the West. Instead, we should work with women's rights activists in Afghanistan to support change from within. But we cannot do that if we refuse to send embassies back to the country.

Yes: This is a brutal militia that treats women like property and massacres its opponents. It has repeatedly broken its word. It cannot be trusted and should not be treated like a legitimateAllowed by law. government.

No: The Taliban is here to stay, and it is on the front line against IS. We have no choice but to work with it. And collaboration will create better results than moral outrage.

Or... There are signs the Taliban is changing. Some of its members are lobbying from within to loosen restrictions on women. Given time, it might transform into a group other countries can work with.