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Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia Paperback – March 1, 2001

by Ahmed Rashid (Author)

204 customer reviews

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Shrouding themselves and their aims in deepest secrecy, the leaders of the Taliban movement control Afghanistan 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.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the single best book available on the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Afghanistan responsible for harboring the terrorist Osama bin Laden. Ahmed Rashid is a Pakistani journalist who has spent most of his career reporting on the region--he has personally met and interviewed many of the Taliban's shadowy leaders. Taliban was written and published before the massacres of September 11, 2001, yet it is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand the aftermath of that black day. It includes details on how and why the Taliban came to power, the government's oppression of ordinary citizens (especially women), the heroin trade, oil intrigue, and--in a vitally relevant chapter--bin Laden's sinister rise to power. These pages contain stories of mass slaughter, beheadings, and the Taliban's crushing war against freedom: under Mullah Omar, it has banned everything from kite flying to singing and dancing at weddings. Rashid is for the most part an objective reporter, though his rage sometimes (and understandably) comes to the surface: "The Taliban were right, their interpretation of Islam was right, and everything else was wrong and an expression of human weakness and a lack of piety," he notes with sarcasm. He has produced a compelling portrait of modern evil. --John Miller

Review

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

(Katha Pollitt Nation)

“[R]ead this remarkable book and the bewildering complexity of Afghan politics and the deadly overspill of chaos, narcotics, and sectarian violence into the surrounding region will become clear.”—Patrick Seale, Sunday Times

(Patrick Seale Sunday Times)

“Rashid . . . provides the most reliable and absorbing account of the militant Central Asian movement that has given shelter to Osama bin Laden, addressing the Taliban’s complicated economic, diplomatic, sociological and military origins.”—Lorraine Adams, Washington Post Book World

(Lorraine Adams Washington Post Book World)

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Product details

Series: Yale Nota Bene
Paperback: 274 pages
Publisher: Yale Nota Bene Books; English Language edition (March 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0300089023
ISBN-13: 978-0300089028
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 204 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #57 in Books > History > World > Religious > Ethnic & Tribal
- #150 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Ideologies & Doctrines > Radicalism
- #258 in Books > History > World > Religious > Religion, Politics & State

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Mike H

Excellent...Until the Final Updated Chapter

December 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified 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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The Rise of the Taliban and Implications for Central Asia

November 23, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

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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M.S. Heiser

Awesome Read!!!

January 23, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

New York Times best seller #1! The best thing about this book, it had been written by Ahmed Rashid back in 99'; however, this is the second edition. This has an added chapter, plus new updates to maps and also a brand new forward/prologue. You'll not be disappointed with this book.

This book begins back before the Taliban, was ever the Taliban. Starting in the days just after the Soviet-Afghan war. I highly recommend this book, and all the other books written by: Ahmed Rashid.

If you are a student of central Asian affairs, history, studies... or just a student of foreign affairs, international studies/relations... buy this book! Search here on Amazon: Ahmed Rashid, and purchase all '5' of his books. No man, has a better knowledge on the area. A lot of other books I read, recommend Mr Rashid's books.

You will not be disappointed.

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E. Miranda Hernandez

Interesting Insight on the Taliban

October 14, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I purchased this book for class, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually interesting. Rashid is a Pakistani journalist, and he researched this book for ten years by actually interviewing the Taliban and the other people of Afghanistan. Intermixed with solid historical data and easy-to-understand descriptions of Afghan life following the Soviet withdrawal, we read specific quotes from Taliban leaders, offering insight that most westerners are unable to find elsewhere.

While this book is factual and a good read, I must admit that Rashid is not unbiased. He offers several solutions throughout the book for how various Afghan crises could have been prevented, and he seems to feel that the US bears a large portion of the responsibility for them. Nevertheless, he backs up his opinions with facts, so even if you don't agree with him, you can respect his reasoning.

One final comment regarding the updated edition--Rashid initially wrote this book before 9/11, and the first edition ends in 1999/2000. When the book was updated, Rashid made the choice to keep the first edition intact, and add a last chapter discussing the events since then. While I can respect his decision here, I think it affects the timeliness of the book, and many of the first edition chapters would benefit from incorporating this new information, rather than waiting for the end. You get the information either way, but in my opinion, it would read better.

Overall, I find it to be an in-depth and enlightening read.

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