AfghanistanSimon and Schuster, 15 jul 2011 - 464 pagina's A startling history of modern Afghanistan: the story of a country caught in a vortex of terror. Veteran defense analyst and Afghanistan expert David Isby provides an insightful and meticulously researched look at the current situation in Afghanistan, her history, and what he believes must be done so that the US and NATO coalition can succeed in what has historically been known as “the graveyard of empires.” Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world with one of the lowest literacy rates. It is rife with divisions between ethnic groups that dwarf current schisms in Iraq, and all the groups are lead by warlords who fight over control of the drug trade as much as they do over religion. The region is still racked with these confrontations along with conflicts between rouge factions from Pakistan, with whom relations are increasingly strained. After seven years and billions of dollars in aid, efforts at nation-building in Afghanistan has produced only a puppet regime that is dependent on foreign aid for survival and has no control over a corrupt police force nor the increasingly militant criminal organizations and the deepening social and economic crisis. The task of implementing an effective US policy and cementing Afghani rule is hampered by what Isby sees as separate but overlapping conflicts between terrorism, narcotics, and regional rivalries, each requiring different strategies to resolve. Pulling these various threads together will be the challenge for the Obama administration, yet it is a challenge that can be met by continuing to foster local involvement and Afghani investment in the region. This paperback edition includes a new 2011 afterword by the author. |
Inhoudsopgave
CHAPTER FOUR TRANSNATIONAL TERRORISM | |
CHAPTER FIVE AFGHAN INSURGENTS | |
CONFLICTS | |
CHAPTER NINE COUNTERING AFGHANISTANS | |
THE FUTURE | |
Veelvoorkomende woorden en zinsdelen
Afghan government Afghan insurgents Afghan National Afghan political Afghan Taliban Afghanistan and Pakistan Ahmad Shah Massoud Al Qaeda allies attacks border coalition command conflict corruption created crossborder despite donors Durand Line economic effective election elites especially ethnic Pushtuns ethnolinguistic exile FATA fighting forces foreign supporters government in Kabul grassroots Hazara Helmand province increased India insurgent groups Iran ISAF Islamic Islamist Jirga Kabul Kabul government Kandahar Kandahar province Karzai Kashmir leaders legitimacy limited Loya Jirga madrassas Mullah Omar Musharraf Muslims narcotics cultivation non nonPushtuns Northern Alliance NWFP operations opium organizations Pakistani insurgents Pakistani military parties patronage networks percent population potential provinces Pushtun Pushtun areas Qaeda qawm radical religious Saudi Sharia Shia shura South Waziristan southern Afghanistan Soviets Swat tactics Taliban culture targeted terrorism terrorist threat traditional Afghan traffickers tribal tribes ulema undercut Vortex warlords widespread women