Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the
Conversations with History Blog

See a webcast of this interview:
Rashid

See also the 2008 interview with
Rashid, "Descent into Chaos"

The Rise of Militant Islam: Conversation with Ahmed Rashid, author and journalist: 3/26/02 by Harry Kreisler

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Ahmed Rashid, a journalist based in Lahore, Pakistan. He has covered Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Pakistan for more than twenty years. And he is the author of Taliban and most recently Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia.

  1. Background ... influence of parents ... education ... impact of the sixties
  2. Being a Journalist in Central Asia ... becoming a journalist ... writing ... importance of history ... interdisciplinary research
  3. Islam in Central Asia: Soviet Legacy ... collapse of the Soviet Union and Islamic revival ... consequences of Soviet domination of Central Asia ... suppression of diversity within Islam ... export of Islamic militants to Afghanistan
  4. Islam in Central Asia: Foreign Intervention and Fundamentalism ... Pakistani foreign policy ... "strategic depth" ... Kashmir ... Saudi foreign policy .. Islamization of dissident groups
  5. Fundamentalism versus Traditional Islam ... rise of the Taliban ... neo-fundamentalism without a sense of history ... anti-Westernism ... secretive leadership ... rejection of ijtihad ... perversion of jihad ... comparison with Leninist parties
  6. U.S. Foreign Policy ... isolationism ... overemphasis on military ... need for multidimensional strategy ... unilateralism
  7. Pakistan's Future ... changes in the current regime ... murder of Daniel Pearl
  8. Heeding the Warning Signs of Fundamentalism ... events of 9/11 .. extremist groups ... failed states
  9. Conclusions ... importance of foreign policy debates ... multidisciplinary curiosity about the world

© Copyright 2002, Regents of the University of California

Photos by Jane Scherr. Site questions: Email iis_webmgr at berkeley.edu.