The Pashtun Code

In Bonn, Germany, leaders of the different tribes and factions in Afghanistan are meeting to discuss the future of their war-torn nation. The largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns, is likely to emerge as an important force in whatever government emerges in Afghanistan. According to British journalist Isabel Hilton, the Pashtuns have always considered themselves the natural rulers of Afghanistan. The Taliban were mostly composed of Pashtuns, and Pashtuns have always been willing to die for their cause. According to a Pashtun saying: "Me against my brother, my brother and me against my cousins, we and our cousins against the enemy." This hour, we examine the culture of Afghanistan's largest ethnic group. Can what Isabel Hilton calls a "lawless tribe" accept a coalition government in Afghanistan?

Guests:

Isabel Hilton, foreign correspondent for the (London) Independent and other British media agencies