Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires: A New History of the Borderland [Hardcover]

David Isby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

An illuminating 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. 20 black-and-white illustrations

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you want to grasp what the Afghans, the United States, and their Western allies are up against, and will be fighting for the foreseeable future, read this book. Isby’s depiction of that violently networked netherworld is the most cogent depiction yet of the threat, what it consists of, who supports it, and how it has dramatically evolved in the past five years. This book is the best one on the subject—and it will be for some time to come.” —Sean M. Maloney, author of Fighting for Afghanistan: A Rogue Historian at War

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

David Isby is a lawyer and defense analyst who has testified before Congress and appeared on CNN, PBS, and FOX. A former adviser to President Reagan, Isby was contributor to The Times History of War and is the author of Russia’s War in Afghanistan; Afghanistan: Invasion and Resistance; Leave No Man Behind; and Fighting the Invasion: The German Army at D-Day (2000). He is a frequent contributor to Jane’s Defense Intelligence Review and lives in Washington DC.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus; 1 edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160598082X
• ISBN-13: 978-1605980829
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Starting in 1970, he became the first employee of Poultron Press, which became Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI), the publisher of conflict simulations and Strategy & Tactics, Moves and other magazines. For nine years he contributed to magazines and books published by SPI and functioned as copy editor of Strategy & Tactics and in other editorial staff positions. He participated in the design and development of many SPI products. He researched for simulations such as War in Europe, War in the Pacific, Campaign for North Africa, and many others. He designed a number of simulations including Soldiers (1972)(1914-15 tactical land combat), Air War (1977)(1950s-80s air combat), To The Green Fields Beyond (1978)( the Battle of Cambrai 1917) and Tannenberg (1978)(the 1914 East Prussia campaign).

In addition to his work at SPI, he published D-ELIM, a wargaming "fanzine" and designed or contributed to games published by other publishers including Rand Game Associates, Avalon Hill and Enola Games.

He received a Game Designer's Guild award for Air War in 1977 and Charles S. Roberts (now Origins) Awards in 1978 (for To the Green Fields Beyond) and, in 1979, as a member of the Hall of Fame.

He practiced law in New York City (including defending Stephen A. Donaldson, "Donny the Punk"). His first book was Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army (London, 1981, Jane's). In Washington, first as a congressional staff member and, subsequently, as a consultant on national security issues, working for a number of firms with a range of governmental and private sector clients. He continued to write extensively on national security and military history topics, being author or editor of over 20 books and 350 essays and articles in publications including International Defense Review, USA Today, Washington Times, Jane's Defense Weekly, Strategic Review, Comparative Strategy, Jamestown Terrorism Monitor, and Jane's Intelligence Review.

He has testified before both House and Senate committees as a independent expert. He has appeared extensively in the media including MacNeil-Lehrer, The McLaughlin Group, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox & Friends, Voice of America, Nightline and The New York Times. He has lectured at many staff colleges including National Defense University, US Army War College, US Army Command and General Staff College, Air Command & Staff College, US Marine Corps Command and General Staff College, Naval Postgraduate School, and other institutions.

Since 1980, he has worked extensively on the Afghanistan issue, and has written several books and many articles on the subject. He has been a frequent visitor to the region and has also participated as a director of The Committee for a Free Afghanistan Inc., a non-governmental organization working on the Afghanistan issue. He was condemned by the (pre-glasnost) Soviet government for his writings and activities on Afghanistan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Understanding of our Most Pressing Conflict, May 1, 2010

By 

Daniel de Wit - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires: A New History of the Borderland (Hardcover)

With Afghanistan, Graveyard of Empires: A New History of the Borderland, David Isby provides the reader an extremely thorough look into the central issue of current US foreign policy. His analysis is deep and penetrating, if very lengthy. Isby goes into detail into every aspect of the conflict in Afghanistan (and Pakistan), and examines the many challenges the US and its allies face there. His analysis of the relations between al Qaeda, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, and there support networks in Pakistan's tribal areas is particularly noteworthy.

The challenges that Isby identifies are daunting to say the least, yet he shows how all of them have viable solutions, if only the US and its allies will be willing to put in the time, effort, and resources to properly see them through.

An outstanding read for anyone seeking an in depth look into the conflicts plaguing Afghanistan, Pakistan, and US policy in the region.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, penetrating analysis of Afghanistan and its wars, February 10, 2011

By 

Elizabeth Ashe "Elizabeth" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires: A New History of the Borderland (Hardcover)

I've been to Afghanistan. I have seen Afghan women cry as their babies died of tragically easily preventable sickness. I have seen Afghanistan's wars and what it has done to the Afghans. I have even met the author of this book, who has also spent a lot of time in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the years.

I have seen what is at stake in Afghanistan. I know the lives of Afghan people who deserve better are being shaped by decisions made, not by themselves or their kin, but by men behind desks in Washington, Tampa, Rawalpindi Cantonment and other far and distant places. One of the things that continues to blight the lives on the Afghan people is that neither these men nor those that implement their policies understand Afghanistan. That applies to good guys as well as bad guys. I have seen well-intentioned aid workers make ill-informed decisions that led to more deaths than any trigger-happy soldier could inflict.

If you want an idea of both WHAT is happening in Afghanistan and WHY, I recommend AFGHANISTAN, GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES. For a sense of what is at stake in Afghanistan, it pulls together the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The author is an experienced military analyst, but this book is not about battalions and operations. Rather, it aims to put the wars in an Afghan (not US) political and cultural context, which is what the men behind desks, men trying to do good works or men leading troops in Afghanistan never seem to understand, to the Afghans' great sorrow and cost.

I have seen the result of many of the policy, military and aid failures that this book describes. By no means all of them are the result of outsides. The author knows enough to realize that Afghans are not just victims, but have been part of the reason why the conflicts in their remote conflict now touch lives throughout the world. If you need to understand Afghanistan, this book can make you better informed, even if it cannot provide the needed answers to Afghanistan's conflicts.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful read for anyone who wants to understand the problems America faces in the country, June 15, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires: A New History of the Borderland (Hardcover)

Afghanistan has been anything but a pure success story for American forces. "Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires, a New History of the Borderland" is a recent history of the chaos in Afghanistan and the tumultuous nature of the region, and how America seems to be falling into the same rut other nations have faced in trying to occupy and control the region. Looking at history and the problems that face modern Afghanistan outside problematic forces, "Afghanistan" is an insightful read for anyone who wants to understand the problems America faces in the country.