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Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia Paperback – April 13, 2010

by Ahmed Rashid (Author)

4.5 234 ratings

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Talebani. Islam, il petrolio e il Grande scontro in Asia centrale
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“The standard work in English on the Taliban” (Christopher de Bellaigue, New York Review of Books) and its impact on Afghanistan

A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Indispensable.”—Steve Wasserman, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“An excellent political and historical account of the movement’s rise to power.”—Katha Pollitt, Nation

“[A] valuable and informative work.”—Richard Bernstein, New York Times

Ahmed Rashid, called “Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter” by Christopher Hitchens, brings the shadowy world of the Taliban and its impact on Afghanistan and the Middle East and Central Asia into sharp focus in this modern classic. Rashid offers an authoritative account of the Taliban’s rise to power, its role in oil and gas company decisions, and the effects of changing American attitudes toward the Taliban. He also describes the new face of Islamic fundamentalism and explains why Afghanistan has become the world center for international terrorism.

In this edition, Rashid examines how the Taliban regained its strength; how and why the Taliban spread across Central Asia; how the Taliban helped Al’Qaida’s spread into Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Far east; and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the First Edition of Taliban:

“A fabulous piece of journalism.”—Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm and Fire

“The best book on the Taliban.”—L. Carl Brown, Foreign Affairs

“[A] valuable and informative work.”—Richard Bernstein, New York Times

“An excellent political and historical account of the movement’s rise to power.”—Katha Pollitt, The Nation

“Virtually the only informed work on the men who, since 1994, have ruled almost all of Afghanistan. . . . [An] indispensable book.”—Steve Wasserman, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A must read.”—Larry P. Goodson, New York Times

“[A] supremely insightful book about Afghanistan’s Taliban regime. . . . Rashid bases his account on detailed reporting and travel throughout Afghanistan and interviews with most of the Taliban’s elusive top leadership. As a narrative, it is gripping. . . . Rashid’s book is superbly reported, a window into a world that remains largely closed to American eyes.”—Shankar Vedantam, Philadelphia Inquirer

“Rashid’s densely detailed reportage portrays a country in ruins and the people who seek to control it. . . . Anyone contemplating new adventures in Afghanistan—whether to save its women from persecution, rescue the state from further fragmentation or save themselves from terrorist backlash—might first consult Rashid’s book.”—Paula R. Newberg, San Francisco Chronicle

“The standard work in English on the Taliban.”—Christopher de Bellaigue, New York Review of Books

“[A] thorough, authoritative exegesis.”—Peter Bergen, Washington Post Book World

Praise for Ahmed Rashid:

“[Rashid is] Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter.”—Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair

About the Author

Called “Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter” by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair, Ahmed Rashid was a correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review for more than twenty years,covering Pakistan, Afghanistan, and central Asia. He now writes for BBC Online, the Washington Post, El Mundo, the International Herald Tribune, the New York Review of Books,and other foreign and Pakistani newspapers. He has been covering the wars in Afghanistan, as well as the wars in Pakistan and Tajikistan, since 1979. He is the author of Descent into Chaos and Jihad.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0300163681
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Second edition (April 13, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780300163681
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300163681
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.86 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #569,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #108 in Central Asia History
- #674 in Asian Politics
- #760 in Middle Eastern Politics

Customer Reviews:
4.5 234 ratings

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Ahmed Rashid

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Ahmed Rashid is a journalist who has been covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia for more than twenty years. He is a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, Daily Telegraph, and The Nation, a leading newspaper in Pakistan. His #1 New York Times bestseller Taliban has been translated into more than twenty languages.

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Customers say

Customers find the book enlightening and well-researched. They describe it as an excellent introduction into the historical world of Afghan terrorism and culture. The book is heartwarming and emotional, with religious connotations and ancient beliefs.

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Information quality Readability Heartwarming Religion

27 customers mention "Information quality"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a comprehensive and enlightening account of the group's origins. They appreciate the author's explanation of culture, tribes, and ancient beliefs. The book is rich in history and well-researched, providing a general understanding of what was going on. Readers describe the author as the best-informed writer on these topics.

"...The book is rich with history not just of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but he writes extensively about South and Central Asia too...." Read more

"...He charts the rise of Al Qaeda from the Soviet war in Afghanistan to Afghan civil war, to a ruling government of sorts until after September 11th..." Read more

"...Rashid is the best-informed writer extant on these topics. It's a must-read." Read more

"The book arrived as described and timely. The book itself is very comprehensive, filled with a myriad of facts about the history of the Tailban and..." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They say it provides an in-depth introduction to historical aspects of Afghan terrorism and culture. The book includes updated maps and a new forward/prologue.

"...Overall, it's a book worth reading if you like politics, history, and social sciences." Read more

"...i think the book was good at helping to understand, in non-judgemental but with scary clarification just what is happening. i am glad i read it." Read more

"...has an added chapter, plus new updates to maps and also a brand new forward/prologue. You'll not be disappointed with this book...." Read more

"...While this book is factual and a good read, I must admit that Rashid is not unbiased...." Read more

3 customers mention "Heartwarming"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's heartwarming and emotional writing style. They find it well-written and a good read about the truth.

"...deserve a chance at peace and as the book details they are a very hearty and resourseful peoples." Read more

"informative, well written, and emotional...." Read more

"it is good to read the truth." Read more

3 customers mention "Religion"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's religious content. They find it complex, with religious connotations and ancient beliefs that have lasted. The book also provides insights into the group's origins, ideology, and threat to the West.

"...author does a great job explaining the culture, the tribes, and ancient beliefs that have continued since time immemorial...." Read more

"...spanning from its history, deomographic complexities, and religious connotations, all affected by the vast natural resources this land is surrounded..." Read more

"A most comprehensive and enlightening account of this group's origins, ideology and threat to the West...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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Ayoeridani
An excellent account of the history of the Taliban
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2021
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I have seen this book and have wanted to read it for a long time. But there were always other titles that I thought piqued my interest more. But with the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban, this book suddenly became imperative material for one trying to understand the Taliban, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

The author does a great job explaining the culture, the tribes, and ancient beliefs that have continued since time immemorial. The author explains what the Deobandi is and what Pashtunwali is. He tells us why these concepts that the western world never even bothered to understand as so important.
The book is rich with history not just of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but he writes extensively about South and Central Asia too. He tells us why these countries and their relationship to Afghanistan were important and still are important in the rise and fall of Afghanistan.

The author talks of Afghans and the troubles they have faced during years of conflicts, occupations, and civil war. Their relationship to the world at large and to the peoples of countries with whom they share common borders. Then, there's the madrassa story, where the Taban began. The author does a good job of providing information about the politics of the time. How the world ended with up militias and extremists groups such as the Taliban and which countries were funding them.

Of course, the author writes in detail about the funders and former funders of these extremists groups.
Overall, it's a book worth reading if you like politics, history, and social sciences.

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Michael Griswold
The Rise of the Taliban and Implications for Central Asia
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2015
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Ahmed Rashid has written the gold standard of books on the Taliban. He charts the rise of Al Qaeda from the Soviet war in Afghanistan to Afghan civil war, to a ruling government of sorts until after September 11th 2001. That alone would be impressive, but Rashid goes a step further by detailing the economic and security impacts the Taliban movement has had on the regional and global environment.

No one from Afghan warlords to United States Presidents comes across as a choirboy in the rise of the Taliban or even as soon as they took power. What really comes across is that Afghanistan has been a train-wreck for decades and that history should be ignored by policy makers at their own risk. Afghanistan isn’t just some isolated corner of the map, but as Afghanistan’s problems are starting to leak into other countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and other former Soviet Republics, Iran, and even the United States.

Although Rashid has added a 2000-2009 section on the Taliban’s reemergence, some readers may want to know his thoughts on the post 2009 period try his 2013 release Pakistan on the Brink, but this is still a great backgrounder on the complicated land of Afghanistan.

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Mike H
Excellent...Until the Final Updated Chapter
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
As with his earlier book "Jihad," author Ahmed Rashid illustrates his unbounded knowledge of Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, along withe the relevant players in all the local terrorist groups, including the Taliban. Rashid, whose fluid, conversational style resembles that of Thomas Friedman ("From Beirut to Jerusalem," "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" and "The World is Flat" among others) expertly weaves the group's history in context with the war against the Soviets and, later, the entrance of the United States military into Afghanistan.
My only problem with the book (in this case the updated 2nd edition) is the 17th and final chapter, which ruins a lot of what Rashid had written up to that juncture.
Cases in point:
• Throughout the book there are many references and anecdotes of days in which hundreds and even thousands are killed in a single day during the repressive, Sharia-driven Taliban's merciless rule. Yet he waxes on about a day in which nine U.S. soldiers are killed and 15 wounded in a day in 2008, when more than 150,000 troops were in country. Not a tragic loss in proportion to the troops involved and when compared to the days before they came to the country.
• The same catastrophic verbiage is used when the U.S. troops, who had "surged" in order to engage more Taliban fighters, lost 91 troops in two months in 2008. Not unexpected casualties considering what was at stake.
• Rashid goes on a Monday-morning quarterback orgy, fault-finding just about everything to do with the U.S., while never once — not a single time — showing how things had improved in comparison to when the Taliban ruled. He runs on and on about IEDs — as if they were winning the conflict for the Taliban — rather than illustrating the basic reasons, tactical and otherwise, that were holding back victory.
• Rashid's solution? "A vast new social and economic development program" as a long-term answer to the problems in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Pakistan. Not too abstract or non-specific, right?
• Rashid never addresses why any country in its right mind would want to invest in offer military aid to a country like Afghanistan, whose troops shot U.S soldiers in the back, or ran, or didn't fight, or weren't double agents.
• No mention at all of the ridiculously restrictive rules of engagement that prevented U.S. troops from doing something as simple as undertaking night raids because they might upset the Afghanis, who Rashid never bothered to mention hate the U.S. troops and aided the Taliban.
• While it was addressed, the fact that the Pakistanis refused to take massive action against the Taliban and whined about the few times U.S. troops and drones (which were never mentioned) attempted to do something about the porous border, which sheltered the Taliban and prevented U.S. victory.
• Afghanistan President Harmid Karzai, while correctly portrayed as corrupt, was never called on the carpet for his endless harangues against the U.S. for inevitable collateral damage while it tried to help his country. Nor was it ever mentioned that Karzai never even thanked the U.S. for its sacrifice.
And yet countries should want to throw money at and rebuild Afghanistan?
I could go on and on and on, but my point is made. It really is essential reading — and good writing until the final chapter. I'm going to read his "Descent Into Chaos" book next, though I have reservations that it will be a longer version of U.S. fault-finding. Still, the payoff is in the presentation of the history of the Central Asian countries and their peoples, and even Islam. Rashid is the best-informed writer extant on these topics. It's a must-read.

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PGC
Taliban
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2011
Verified Purchase
The book arrived as described and timely. The book itself is very comprehensive, filled with a myriad of facts about the history of the Tailban and Afghanistan. The country has a very colorful past and the author does a very nice job of describing how the many factions make up the culture. I have a son in the US Marines, he is currently deployed to Camp Leatherneck in the kandahar area and this book has helped me understand what we and he are up against. I will be forwarding this to him after I complete.
The people of Afghanistan deserve a chance at peace and as the book details they are a very hearty and resourseful peoples.

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ricky
like the others is incredibly researched
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
i have read several of mr. rashids books and this one, like the others is incredibly researched, well written and fascinating. taliban are a little easier to understand now. what was most distressing was learning about the history and seeing again and again how history is allowed to repeat itself and how arrogance and money get thrown into the mix with poor results. i think the book was good at helping to understand, in non-judgemental but with scary clarification just what is happening. i am glad i read it.

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Top reviews from other countries

Robert Todrick
A detailed perspective of why we're where we're at.
Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
The media all too often portrays the Taliban as a bunch of bumbling tribal people of no real consequence.
Far from it...there are a lot of them, they have lots of money and they have a definite 'plan'.
And like it or not...we (the west) have helped them get where they are.

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