The ethnicisation of an Afghan faction: Junbesh-i-Milli from the origins to the presidential elections

This paper means to show that throughout its history the issue of ethnicity has gradually risen as a key way to obtain political legitimisation among the population of northern Afghanistan, despite not having been on the original agenda. The aim is to show that warlord polities are not static entities, but can be capable of transforming and adapting under pressure and can raise the banner of ethnic or political causes.