Afghanistan today under Taliban rule virtually mirrors what the country was like before the American invasion in October 2001. Girls cannot attend secondary school. Once again, women no longer work as lawyers, judges or police officers. Men must wear beards and traditional Afghan garb.
As it was before, morality police scan streetscapes to make sure women are in burqas and accompanied by a male relative. The country has been firewalled from any Western influence. Movies, foreign broadcasts and music have all disappeared.
A year after the Taliban retook Kabul and imposed its oppressive brand of governance, Afghanistan enjoys peace. But that peace comes at a stiff price — acquiescence to a fundamentalist, backward way of life that cannot be defied.
