Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia ANNOTATION
This book is the only thorough book-length study on the Taliban to date and sets them in the wider context of world politics. It covers not just the Taliban, but also the geo-politics of the region and controversial issues such as Islamic fundamentalism, Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban's treatment of women, the drug trade, and the oil politics of Central Asia.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Shrouding themselves and their aims in deepest secrecy, the leaders of the Taliban movement control Afghan-istan with an inflexible, crushing fundamentalism. The most extreme and radical of all Islamic organizations, the Taliban inspires fascination, controversy, and especially fear in both the Muslim world and the West. Correspondent Ahmed Rashid brings the shadowy world of the Taliban into sharp focus in this enormously interesting and revealing book. It is the only authoritative account of the Taliban and modern day Afghanistan available to English language readers.
Based on his experiences as a journalist covering the civil war in Afghanistan for twenty years, traveling and living with the Taliban, and interviewing most of the Taliban leaders since their emergence to power in 1994, Rashid offers unparalleled firsthand information. He explains how the growth of Taliban power has already created severe instability in Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and five Central Asian republics. He describes the Taliban' s role as a major player in a new "Great Game"—a competition among Western countries and companies to build oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western and Asian markets. The author also discusses the controversial changes in American attitudes toward the Taliban—from early support to recent bombings of Osama Bin Laden's hideaway and other Taliban-protected terrorist bases—and how they have influenced the stability of the region.
SYNOPSIS
As a frightening—and proliferating—new force in the Islamic world, the Taliban extremists who now control Afghanistan are likely to be the subject of increasing global attention; they are the most radical of all Islamic fundamentalist movements. This book is the only thorough book-length study on the Taliban to date and sets them in the wider context of world politics. It covers not just the Taliban, but also the geo-politics of the region and controversial issues such as Islamic fundamentalism, Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban's treatment of women, the drug trade, and the oil politics of Central Asia. It is likely to be an indispensable source to a wide array of professionals and other interested readers.
FROM THE CRITICS
Richard Bernstein - The New York Times
The broader story here is powerful. Mr. Rashid' s book is essentially a history of the destruction of one of the more ruggedly enduring Central Asia cultures. It depicts how Afghanistan, which survived the British-Russian Great Game of the 19th century, has been reduced to a fragmented, failed state in a vicious new Great Game at the end of the 20th.... One learns... a great deal from Mr. Rashid' s book about the nature of local Central Asian politics and the consequences of interference by outside powers.... [A] valuable and informative work."
L. Carl Brown - Foreign Affairs
An excellent study by a journalist who has covered Afghanistan for over 20 years, knows all the important Afghan leaders and reads widely from scholarly works and the media. . . . Rashid illuminates the struggle for control of Afghanistan by great and lesser powers--not just the United States, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran but also Afghanistan' s newly independent Central Asian neighbors--and demonstrates how little they have to show for their efforts."
Katha Pollitt - The Nation
An excellent political and historical account of the movement�s rise to power.
Steve Wasserman - Los Angeles Times
Virtually the only informed work on the men who, since 1994, have ruled almost all of Afghanistan. . . [An] indispensable book.
Larry P. Goodson - New York Times
. . . [P]rovides. . . much insight into the. . . movement's rise and success. . . a must read for anyone wanting to understand America's new war. Read all 13 "From The Critics" >
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Barnett R. Rubin
Rashid combines close journalistic experience with the Taliban and long-term knowledge of Afghanistan in this work of great depth and understanding. — (Barnett Rubin author of The Segmentation of Afghanistan and The Search for Peace in Afghanistan)
This is an impressive analysis of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, of its background and impact on our country, and the wider regional and political implications of the Taliban advent power�. — (Fred Halliday, Professor of International Relations of The London School of Economics author of Revolution and World Politics: The Rise and Fall of Sixth Great Power)
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