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Nation Building | 
 enlarge | Author: Rashid Ahmed
Publisher: Allen Lane
Category: Book
Buy Used: $39.98
Used (5) from $39.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 4177461
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.5
ISBN: 0713998431
EAN: 9780713998436
ASIN: 0713998431
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Also Available In:
| • | Hardcover - Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | | • | Paperback - Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | | • | Audio Cassette - Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | | • | Kindle Edition - Descent into Chaos | | • | Audio CD - Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | | • | Audio CD - Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | | • | MP3 CD - Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | | • | Audio CD - Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
The Chaos November 24, 2008
A better title for this excellent book might be "Maintaining the Chaos". The author is probably right in his assessment of US mismanagement of war, aid and influence in the Middle-East. How could it be otherwise though? The region is populated by hordes of people stuck in prehistoric, tribal mentality. Modern American leaders and policy makers stand about zero chance of knowing how to positively affect the outcome of events there. I doubt that we could dig up anyone in the West who could do much better than what has been done. Our history is not good, no matter who is in power.
If, however, some boys and girls in Afghanistan, or other countries in the region, get the chance now to go to school where they might not have otherwise, the world has made a little progress.
A contemporary analysis of root causes of Taliban resurgence November 11, 2008
This is the second book from Ahmed Rashid I have read. In the first book, "Taliban", Ahmed Rashid raised the caution about Taliban back in 1998 when few in the world knew much about them. In this recent book, Ahmed Rashid has provided a detailed analysis of how did Taliban take advantage of USA's diverted attention due to its involvement in Iraq. And how did other powers in the region shielded them for their designs.
Much of the book is scholarly treatise, with ample references to reports and quotes. It also mentions inconsistencies in the work by other authors on Taliban.
In some sections, the book goes into minute details which prompts the reader to skip over pages.
In its entirety, however, it is a must-read book for anyone who wishes to explore the root causes of Taliban resurgence and the approaches to contain it.
 Author has excellent access...read this after Ghost Wars October 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am headed over to Kabul in a couple weeks to work in NATO's security assistance force. I have been reading a ton about the region over the past several months. Ghost Wars stands alone as the best read out there, but its narrative ends abruptly on Sept 10, 2001. For me this book can serve as a worthy sequel since a great deal of it deals with events since 9/11. The author is extremely thorough and detailed, but he also manages to hold the reader's interest by addressing themes instead of providing a straight chronology, which would have been painful given everything he includes here. Be forewarned, the author is very critical of US policy in the region, and seems to frequently overstate the degree to which the US policymakers can drive reform around the world. But I will say he spreads his criticisms fairly to other quarters...such as Karzai's government, and ultimately his opinions are articulated well enough to actually add something to the book. A totally objective, unimpassioned text would have been very dry. The author is a Pakistani journalist with incredible access and sources in that part of the world, and his text includes extensive notation. It should also be said that the incoming commander of Central Command Gen David Patreaus is a fan of this book. He recently brought the author onto his 100-member strategy review team dealing with Central and South Asia. So if you want to quickly become 'well read' on the area, pick up this book. It's extremely relevant at this point and time. I'm going to bring this over with me because I'm expecting it to serve as an excelent reference for regional people and place names.
Understanding Chaos October 20, 2008
Ahmed Rashid is a brilliant Pakistani journalist who has visited much of Afghanistan and understands the relationships between Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He explains how Pakistan can be both for and against the Taliban, and how the war in Iraq is vitally changed by the tension between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. It's not an easy read, but if you want to understand what's going on in South Asia and the Middle East, his insight is invaluable.
The incompetence of the Bush administration will startle you... October 19, 2008
We are so used to hearing about the failures of the war in Iraq that we seldom pay attention to the progress (or lack thereof) of the war in Afghanistan. However, as Obama points out, the Afghan-Pakistan border area is really the central front in the war on terror. Ahmed Rashid's book is THE guide to the past 7 years in the region. With expert insight and access to the key players (he is a personal friend of Afghan President Hamid Karzai), he provides a complete picture of regional politics and U.S. policy in the area. Some key surprises that should shock even the most hardcore Obama supporters include:
1. Rumsfeld was adamantly opposed to the U.S. addressing the rising opium problem, which funded the Taliban and has undermined our nation-building efforts. This short-term approach has led to a huge missed opportunity to rebuild Afghanistan and prevent it from becoming a terror safe-haven again.
2. U.S. intelligence knew that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence was continuing to help the Taliban, but still allied with Musharraf. After the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance retook Kabul, the U.S. let the ISI evacuate thousands of Taliban soldiers and terrorists to appease Musharraf. Thus, in effect, Bush allowed the biggest rescue operation for terrorists ever.
I can only hope the foreign policy advisors to the new president read this book.
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