What is the difference between the Taliban and al-Qaeda? Are they the same thing?

They are not the same thing, but they have close links. After the Mujahhideen drove the Russians out of Afghanistan in the late 80s, the different groups fought amongst themselves for control of the country and the Taliban won out. Unfortunately they were a bunch of fundamentalist fanatics who took the place back to the stone age with their twisted views.

However, they got it into their heads that as they had defeated one super power they could defeat another, and as all muslims claim to have sympathy for their Palestinian brothers, who are denied their rights by Israel, and as Israel is backed by the USA they turned their sights on America as an enemy. What they conveniently forgot was that it wasn't Allah who helped them defeat the infidel Russians, but weapons smuggled in by the CIA. As they had no way of reaching America themselves, they opened the country up to people who could, namely Al Quaeda, a terrorist organisation spread throughout the muslim world, letting them set up ... more.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.