`Afghan warlords' are some of the most maligned actors in US debates about Afghanistan. These figures are vilified as exemplifying some of the darkest moments in Afghanistan's recent history. Yet, they are also lauded for their contributions to the future of the Afghan state or, in some cases, recast as seemingly less vicious characters, such as `local commanders' or `militia leaders'. This article situates US conceptions of `Afghan warlords' in a historical and comparative context by returning to arguably the West's most formative exposure to Afghanistan, the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838—42). A discursive analysis of primary and secondary sources from both periods reveals that longstanding Orientalist archetypes about the `Afghan people' and their violent tendencies continue to influence US thought about `Afghan warlords'. The article concludes that recent concern about `Afghan warlords' should be understood as part of the longer, and still unresolved, construction of a violent Afghan `Other' in Anglo-American political thought.
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