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This non-fiction
book is wrote by an author, a Pakistani journalist familiar with South
Central Asia, with long-term experience with Afghanistan.
He explores the history of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and the
implications of the Taliban coming to power in terms of the
surrounding nations and in the international arena. In his
analysis he delves into subjects such as oil, drugs, gender roles,
Islam, conflict, warlords, the "Great Game", and culture. The
timeframe of this book is from the start of the Taliban movement in
1994 to just before the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States
and the fall of the Taliban.
The book is well organized with appendices that include
notes, bibliography, structure of the Taliban, chronological timeline
of the Taliban, and index.
Having read the book (a few times) I think the authors' depiction
of the role of western oil companies in the politics of Afghanistan
and the tying of United States policies to the oil companies desires
is overstated. I read the book before my first trip to
Afghanistan (all expenses paid courtesy of Uncle Sam), passed the book
on to someone else, then bought the book again and read it a second
time, and then just recently read it a third time. If you are a
student of Afghanistan or are going there for work then it is worth
reading. |