The Foreign Service Journal, January 2003

marshals compelling evidence show- ing how buzkashi has played out on Afghanistan’s larger stage and how its leaders—even including the unfun- loving Taliban — have tried to coopt the game for political purposes. Given this background, interim Afghan President Karzai is likely to be presid- ing soon over a buzkashi match in Kabul —if he has not already done so. Azoy’s book, a combination of scholarly study and personal memoir, gives the reader a ground-level close- up of the colorful lives and personali- ties of the Afghan horsemen against the backdrop of complex social inter- actions among the game’s sponsors, the landowning Khans, and the latter’s relations with their supposed masters in Kabul. Until Azoy uncovered those aspects of the game after more than a year of research, little of the relation- ships and larger social and political meaning of the game was known out- side the country. This is the major contribution of his book. Unfortunately, as Azoy notes in his revised edition, much of the social structure that held the country togeth- er for so long has been badly damaged over the past 23 years. But the sur- vival of the game during the interreg- num of Soviet invasion and civil war (1979-2001) may mean that the coun- try’s social fabric has not completely fallen into tatters. At least for some old Afghan hands, including this reviewer, that represents a ray of hope for a country long maligned and often neglected but now — thanks to the power of terrorism to focus the mind — a priority for U.S. policy. Retired FSO Arnold Schifferdecker is the chairman of the Journal ’s Editorial Board. He served in Kabul (among many other posts) as a political officer and again in 1997-98 as an adviser to the United Nations Special Mission in Afghanistan. 66 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 2 B O O K S N e w P o s i t i o n Executive Director, Alliance for International Conflict Resolution (AICR) AICR (www.aicr.us.) is a new network of US-based conflict resolution organizations working internationally, with its office in Washington, DC. It is seeking a senior professional with experience in conflict resolution and/or related fields to serve as its chief administrative and operating officer. Responsibilities: • Spokesperson • Direct outreach efforts to government officials, funders, and other constituencies, to build bridges between CR and related fields • Architect of fundraising strategy • Oversight of website strategy and operations • Outreach to potential funders for AICR member projects • Coalition building • Track policy changes at foundations, government agencies and other related fields. Competitive salary and benefits, with opportunities for increases. Submit cover letter and CV to applications@aicr.us by January 13, 2003. WEBSITES Educatio n-world.com www.educationworld.com • It provides all information on educational issues, such as teacher/parent-student relationship, updated school news, lesson planning, teaching tips, learning methods, etc. • Useful links like Curriculum, Lesson Planning, Foreign Languages, Counseling, School Directory, etc. Strugglingteens.com www.strugglingteens.com • Educational Consultants helping parents and professionals since 1989. Online since 1995. • Helpful articles on parents- children relationship, family ties, teen problems and comments on choosing boarding schools given by experts and parents. • Evaluations and reviews on some schools given by education consultants. • Hyperlinks to boarding school websites and individual education consultants’ websites. The Foreign Service Journal Brings you education information!