"Taliban's Foot Soldiers" - Foreign Policy

James Weir and Hekmatullah Azamy write about the Taliban's rank and file and what motivates them to take part in the insurgency. They state that the three prime motivators in priority is 1) money, 2) local grievances, and 3) ideology. The authors believe there is a vast difference in motivation between the Taliban leaders in the Quetta or Peshawar Shuras and the foot soldiers of the various local Taliban groups. The existence of the Taliban has more to do with making money than changing the Afghan government. Read more in "Afghanistan's 'Transformation Decade' Depends on the Taliban's Foot Soldiers", Foreign Policy, March 2, 2015.