EP95: Hafizullah Amin

The Hated and the Dead

Hafizullah Amin was the communist leader of Afghanistan for three ill-fated months in 1979. The end of his time in power- also the end of his life- marked the start of Afghanistan's descent into a forty year war. So disastrous was Amin's time in power that my guest considers him possibly the worst man in modern Afghan history.
Amin reveals that most things in politics, and in war, are not inevitable. Countries end up the way they are, often due to choices, but also due to happenstance; as you’re about to hear, Amin was very lucky to even reach 50th birthday, even though it would be his last. Amin’s luck turned out to be Afghanistan’s deep misfortune.
My guest today is Stephan Jensen. Stephan was an officer in the Norwegian Army, and in that capacity served in Mali and Afghanistan. He is currently writing a book on Afghanistan, titled The Triumph of Chaos: A History of the War in Afghanistan 1978-2021, which will be released next year. As well as Amin’s life, we delve into the Afghanistan Amin left behind, and whether the country will ever recover the relatively benign government it had before 1978.