NEW WINE IN OLD BOTTLES: An Analysis of Pakistan's Conflict in the Pashtun Tribal Areas

Abstract

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan have regained prominence in recent years because of the U.S.' "war on terror" against Al-Qaeda. The Government of Pakistan, backed by the U.S. and NATO, is involved in a bloody conflict with Taliban sympathizers and other violence entrepreneurs in FATA. But this is not the first time that such a conflict has occurred in Pakistan's frontier. For nearly a century, the British experimented with various policies and strategies to try and incorporate the tribes who resisted what they considered foreign invasion. This thesis will examine the current conflict in the historical context, and analyze the relationship between economic development and conflict, specifically in Waziristan, where many of the violence entrepreneurs stem from. It will examine the social, political and economic structure of the Pashtun society and analyze the impact of war on women, one of the most marginalized groups in society.