In November 2015 Ashraf Ghani gave a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, where I used to work. In that environment he was very impressive: witty, assured, quite in his element. He knew how to talk to our students and larded his replies to their questions with references to Foucault and other theorists. Despite the invoking of Foucault I warmed to him – but then I am also an academic, and in the past have used some of Ghani’s articles on 19th-century Afghanistan (which are good scholarship). Even then though I did wonder if this urbane character was really the person to lead Afghanistan out of the morass. I think academics very rarely make good leaders, not least because they are often paralysed by their awareness of complexity. In the case of Afghanistan its most successful leaders – Ahmad Shah Abdali, who founded the Durrani dynasty and the Afghan state in the late 18th century, and ‘Abdurrahman Khan, who conquered Nuristan and the regions north of the Hindu Kush in the 1880s, were both ruthless, brutal, hard-nosed men of action. Times have changed of course, but Afghanistan is if anything more ungovernable now than it was then, after forty years of war. Horrible as the Taliban are, it doesn’t sound as if Ghani’s regime deserved to survive in its current form.
Possibly …but I doubt Afghanistan would gladly receive them.
It’s probably had enough of Western academics. Besides, if you’re an academic, your idea of ruthless and the Taliban’s are very diifferent.
The whole story reads like so many written during the Raj of Native leaders falling for Bitishisms and Western Liberalisms, becoming this simulacrum of the British Gentleman, More British than the British intellectually, and then ending just as Ghani, because somehow it can result in worst of both worlds rather than best of both worlds when actually put into practice on the native peoples.
This story has played out a great many times in the last 150 years. Knowing too much of every side does not make for better decision making as one is too close to the subject to be objective, and every decision has to be made for one view, and opposing the other, and that is hard if you have gone Native in Both Worlds. Even harder if a greater sympathy for the Western Liberalism, than for the Native sensibilities, is dominate. This is actually an archetype, the leader taken from his society and trained in the other, and then returned to lead. The Romans were always up to this, but then Rome was hardly Liberal, so so not as conflicting to the new leadership.
I read it this morning and wanted to say the same thing. I know nothing about Afghanistan’s ex president, but this article is written using truly marvellous prose. A real treat to read.
That story about the helicopter full of cash sounds really funny.
But I will only believe it is true if the NYT refuses to cover it, Twitter bans anyone who mentions it and Snopes publishes a report stating it was “mostly false”
Anybody who has ever seen a few million in $20 bills will attest the bag size. The story of $100M+ in bags is likely nonsense. Perhaps he had several helicopters in convoy. ,
GA Woolley
2 years ago
Ghani was never going to rule, let alone change, Afghanistan. The simmering cauldrons of sectarian, tribal ethnic etc inter-communal strife that are the states, regions, and communities across Africa, the ME, and much of Asia can only be controlled by ruthless, hard-nosed, b’tards. The worst of these are religiously fanatical ruthless, hard-nosed b’tards, because their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours are impervious to reason, evidence, or reality. Israel is the only developed state, apart from China, itself run by R H-N Bs, which recognises this. Until the rest of us do, there’s no point in getting involved in future, or ongoing, conflicts.
Galeti Tavas
2 years ago
“Ashraf had promised to clean up grift when he first ran for President, but if it flourished in his immediate family, what hope did Afghanistan have?”
We also know this story… $500,000 for some paint blown out of a straw by the President’s addict Son anyone? Need some Lobbying? Biden’s Brother can get stuff done.
LCarey Rowland
2 years ago
The fool on the hill, a tragic dreamer, like me. . . it was a nice ride, thanks to the yanks and our hi-tech protective devices, while it lasted. Thank you, Will, for writing this unherd-of portrait of a contemporary harmlet . . . alas, poor Ghani, we wish we’d known him better.
Dustshoe Richinrut
2 years ago
“…, a student in Paris in 1968, …”. That sounds nice.
What if “A student in Kabul in 1968”? That would sound not too bad either. You know, say, a young lady, a student in Kabul in ‘68.
Mark Griffin
2 years ago
Wonderfully informative article. Thank you!
jack hayward
2 years ago
In reply to Sanford Artzen the EIC and Raj policy was to militarily defeat and get out of Afghanistan asap. The memory of Gandamack ran deep.
Corrie Mooney
2 years ago
Ghani did something worse than all these things.
Ghani was rude.
In November 2015 Ashraf Ghani gave a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, where I used to work. In that environment he was very impressive: witty, assured, quite in his element. He knew how to talk to our students and larded his replies to their questions with references to Foucault and other theorists. Despite the invoking of Foucault I warmed to him – but then I am also an academic, and in the past have used some of Ghani’s articles on 19th-century Afghanistan (which are good scholarship). Even then though I did wonder if this urbane character was really the person to lead Afghanistan out of the morass. I think academics very rarely make good leaders, not least because they are often paralysed by their awareness of complexity. In the case of Afghanistan its most successful leaders – Ahmad Shah Abdali, who founded the Durrani dynasty and the Afghan state in the late 18th century, and ‘Abdurrahman Khan, who conquered Nuristan and the regions north of the Hindu Kush in the 1880s, were both ruthless, brutal, hard-nosed men of action. Times have changed of course, but Afghanistan is if anything more ungovernable now than it was then, after forty years of war. Horrible as the Taliban are, it doesn’t sound as if Ghani’s regime deserved to survive in its current form.
I know a few fairly ruthless academic leaders (VCs, registrars, etc.) whom I would gladly send to Afghanistan.
Oh so do I! But I think we can agree that while it might be to our benefit and to theirs, it’s hard to argue that it would do the Afghans any good.
Possibly …but I doubt Afghanistan would gladly receive them.
It’s probably had enough of Western academics. Besides, if you’re an academic, your idea of ruthless and the Taliban’s are very diifferent.
The whole story reads like so many written during the Raj of Native leaders falling for Bitishisms and Western Liberalisms, becoming this simulacrum of the British Gentleman, More British than the British intellectually, and then ending just as Ghani, because somehow it can result in worst of both worlds rather than best of both worlds when actually put into practice on the native peoples.
This story has played out a great many times in the last 150 years. Knowing too much of every side does not make for better decision making as one is too close to the subject to be objective, and every decision has to be made for one view, and opposing the other, and that is hard if you have gone Native in Both Worlds. Even harder if a greater sympathy for the Western Liberalism, than for the Native sensibilities, is dominate. This is actually an archetype, the leader taken from his society and trained in the other, and then returned to lead. The Romans were always up to this, but then Rome was hardly Liberal, so so not as conflicting to the new leadership.
This is a quite informative comment. Thank you, Alex, for posting it.
Wonderful journalism.
So beautifully written with a very dry humour. I read on although I have zero interest in Ghani.
“… free to exhibit their work in Berlin.”
I read it this morning and wanted to say the same thing. I know nothing about Afghanistan’s ex president, but this article is written using truly marvellous prose. A real treat to read.
Unherd is lucky to have such a writer.
That story about the helicopter full of cash sounds really funny.
But I will only believe it is true if the NYT refuses to cover it, Twitter bans anyone who mentions it and Snopes publishes a report stating it was “mostly false”
Anybody who has ever seen a few million in $20 bills will attest the bag size. The story of $100M+ in bags is likely nonsense. Perhaps he had several helicopters in convoy. ,
Ghani was never going to rule, let alone change, Afghanistan. The simmering cauldrons of sectarian, tribal ethnic etc inter-communal strife that are the states, regions, and communities across Africa, the ME, and much of Asia can only be controlled by ruthless, hard-nosed, b’tards. The worst of these are religiously fanatical ruthless, hard-nosed b’tards, because their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours are impervious to reason, evidence, or reality. Israel is the only developed state, apart from China, itself run by R H-N Bs, which recognises this. Until the rest of us do, there’s no point in getting involved in future, or ongoing, conflicts.
“Ashraf had promised to clean up grift when he first ran for President, but if it flourished in his immediate family, what hope did Afghanistan have?”
We also know this story… $500,000 for some paint blown out of a straw by the President’s addict Son anyone? Need some Lobbying? Biden’s Brother can get stuff done.
The fool on the hill, a tragic dreamer, like me. . . it was a nice ride, thanks to the yanks and our hi-tech protective devices, while it lasted. Thank you, Will, for writing this unherd-of portrait of a contemporary harmlet . . . alas, poor Ghani, we wish we’d known him better.
“…, a student in Paris in 1968, …”. That sounds nice.
What if “A student in Kabul in 1968”? That would sound not too bad either. You know, say, a young lady, a student in Kabul in ‘68.
Wonderfully informative article. Thank you!
In reply to Sanford Artzen the EIC and Raj policy was to militarily defeat and get out of Afghanistan asap. The memory of Gandamack ran deep.
Ghani did something worse than all these things.
Ghani was rude.
Interesting