The thesis analyzes the emergence of the Taliban which is a fundamentalist movement of Sunni Muslims in Afghanistan. We are interested in their development, political influence, military organization, and social functioning. In the Pashto language, the word talib refers to religious school students. The Taliban, who are mostly Pashtuns by ethnicity, are students at religious schools in Pakistan. The Taliban uphold the Deoband doctrine. Moreover, their life values are mainly in line with Pashtun tribal traditions. An important part of their life is also Pashtunwali. It is an unwritten legal code that derives from Islamic religious tradition and Pashtun tradition and is unique to Pashtuns. It is a set of rules, norms, laws, and values that are of great significance to the Pashtuns and in this case also the Taliban. Their conception of Islam and the Pashtunwali significantly define their lives. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 1994 and ruled until 2001 when they were defeated in a joint intervention by US military forces and their allies. Attempts at democratization and modernizing Afghan society within the framework of the twenty-year-long ISAF mission, in which American forces were by far the most present, did not produce lasting results. In 2021, the US military withdrew from the country. The Taliban soon regained power. The thesis shows in more detail the social, political, and regional effects of the first and second Taliban rule and assesses the possible directions of future development.
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