Reaping the Whirlwind FROM THE PUBLISHER
Cut adrift after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Afghanistan has become a political no-man's-land.Historically an artifical "buffer state", Afghanistan has in recent years become the geopolitical playground of a variety of competitng interests - the Americans, the Saudis, Russians and Pakistanis, let alone drug barons, arms dealers and oil interests. Afghanistan's unstable and problematic history is now further complicated by the emergence of the Taliban - one of the most conservative and least understood Islamic movements in the world.The Taliban continues to grab the headlines, most notably for their appalling treatment of women, and their connections to Osama bin Laden. Investigative journalist Michael Griffin draws numerous interviews with key protganists, and offers a fasccinating eyewitness picture drawn from three extensive trips to Afghanistan. He paints the fullest picture yet of the Taliban movement, its origins, beliefs, religious and political ethos, and the character and impact of its particular brand of fundamentalism. In the process he reveals the controversial nature of the Taliban's links with the CIA, Saudi Arabia and other vested interests. Who is to blame for the present situation? What conspiracies and collusions led to this pass? The author's conclusion reveals his view of where the "smoking gun" is pointed.
SYNOPSIS
First published just weeks before the Taliban became the most notorious Islamic movement in the world, this thoroughly revised and updated edition of Michael Griffin's widely acclaimed book provides a detailed account of the rise of the Taliban, its relationship with Osama bin Ladenﾽs Al Qaﾽida network and the events that led up to September 11 and the US declaration of war on terrorism."Reaping the Whirlwind" now includes accounts of why US intelligence failed to detect the events of 11 September, the conduct of the war in Afghanistan and the tangled links between key figures in the Bush administration and Saudi Arabia, Central Asian energy interests and the BCCI fraud of the early 1990s. Griffin profiles the leading players in the Afghanistan imbroglio, from Mullah Mohammad Omar and Osama bin Laden to the murdered resistance fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud and interim president Hamid Karzai. He draws on extensive interviews and analysis to explain the nature of the Taliban and the Al Qa'ida network - their origins, beliefs and political ethos, as well as the changing character of their particular brands of Islamic fundamentalism. Written with energy and authority, "Reaping the Whirlwind" remains an essential guide to the complex cast of characters and incidents that led to the first global war of the 21st century.
FROM THE CRITICS
LA Times
A necessary book... a meticulous dissection of the limits of power in a violently sectarian society.
New Statesman
A splendid book.
NY Times Book Review
Filled with dramatic moments, ironies and political intrigues ... Griffin writes engagingly.
New Statesman
A splendid book.
New York Times Book Review
Filled with dramatic moments, ironies and political intrigues ... Griffin writes engagingly.
Read all 8 "From The Critics" >
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"Over the past decade, a group of sectarian Muslim students known as "the Taliban" has been taking over Afghanistan, inch by inch, and instituting a policy of terror against Westernized Afghanis and religious and ethnic rivals. Michael Griffin has done us a great service with his book, teasing out the nuances ofpolitical, religious, and ethnic strife in Afghanistan - a country that is both hidden and of immense importance to the Post-Cold War world. He shows us the blundering interventions of international players, ranging from greedy American and Argentine oil companies, to self-serving Iranian and Pakistani politicians. He provides a unique inside account of the agonizing choices faced by United Nations agencies -- a devil's dilemma between lending tacit support to the Taliban's brutal war against women's rights, and withholding relief supplies for suffering Afghani civilians. This book is crucial, not just for regional specialists, but for anyone who wants to understand the limitations of foreign policy in the growing number of violently sectarian strongholds in the world."
--Director, International Program, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
— Anne Nelson
AUTHOR DESCRIPTION
Michael Griffin is a widely traveled freelance writer and journalist who has worked as an information consultant for UNICEF in Afghanistan. He is currently News Editor for Index on Censorship.
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