Rating: 
Summary: Rashid owned the Taliban story
Review: A cliche is appropriate here. Ahmed Rashid owned this story. A long-time correspondent based in Central Asia, Rashid was singularly situated to tell the world about the Taliban. Written well before the United States invaded Afghanistan, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia is a testament to the author's power of observation, ability to cultivate excellent sources, and prowess as an interviewer and a researcher. To the outside world, the Taliban seemed insane. Rashid chronicles why that distant perception was correct. Years as a journeyman reporter provided Rashid entree into places few independent sources could go. This unprecedented access, and Rashid's talent as a writer, convey the sheer madness that gripped Afghanistan. The result is the definitive book on the Taliban. Rashid proves to be a brilliant analyst as well as an intrepid reporter. As an example, the author gives the best explanation to date of why the Taliban was so virulently misogynistic. Many of these Islamist fanatics, Rashid explains, were raised in all-male orphanages, educated only by men, and lived exclusively among other boys. This incisive explanation of the gender issue is typical of the author's best analyses, some of which come across almost as throwaway lines ("failed states are not necessarily dying states" springs to mind). Rashid also has a keen eye for the absurd. The number of Taliban officials missing limbs, eyes and other body parts, he notes, was quite disconcerting. On a serious note, Rashid also examines the wider issues the Taliban represented. In the process, he spares no one. Such diverse personages as American oil barons, old-style Russian expansionists, Islamic religious fanatics, atavistic communist tyrants, and corrupt Muslim officials all receive the harsh treatment they richly deserve. The Taliban's Afghanistan truly became a quagmire for its enablers and enemies. As some regional powers promoted their vision of a religious utopia, they also sowed the seeds of their own destruction as Afghan-based terrorists put those very governments in their crosshairs. Unfortunately for the West, this failed state also gave al-Qaeda and heroin producers a sanctuary. Western energy interests, Wahhabi-promoting Saudis, Central Asian dictators, and power-crazed Pakistani intelligence officers sacrificed national interests for their narrow concerns, and Rashid makes it clear the world is a much more dangerous place as a result. This book is a triumph precisely because the author ties together all these seemingly disparate evils--terrorism, repression, gratuitous violence, corporate greed, geopolitical hegemony, Islamic radicalism, drug trafficking----and makes a compelling case that the Taliban was more their symptom than cause.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Understanding The 911 Devastation
Review: Ahmed Rashid spent over 20 years as a reporter in Pakistan/Afghanistan. He has written a 216 page book filled with facts concerning the history, politics and culture of the Taliban, Terroism and American Oil Companies. Mr Rashid reports in a clear and organized style about events between 1978-1999 in this part of the world in the context of the history of the Middle East. His insights and reporting are both surprising and informative. He covers religious and political groups and factions and sects as only someone who has lived in this part of the world could do. It is amazing how he is able to present a straight-forward and intelligble account of so complex a situation. He deals with international intrigue by American Oil Companies, about the treatment of women, about Pakistan's and Saudi Arabia's support of the Taliban. Each and every chapter of this book contains valuable information to anyone interest in understanding how a small, unknown and uneducated group of religious Islamic extremist could assist in the destruction of the WTC on 911 and threathen the financial security of many Western economies. Turn off CNN, put down the Times and sit down to read a book which will provide an important framework for dealing with the problems we face today.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive background to recent events
Review: Anyone who wades through the detail-laden and sometimes turgid prose that comprises *Taliban* will end up far more knowledgeable about Afghanistan and southern Asian politics generally than could possibly result from mere exposure to the usual, highly filtered news sources upon which we usually depend. What's most interesting about *Taliban* is that it is written from a non-Western, and especially non-American point of view. Consequently, the author makes apparent that although the United States has blundered in its policies toward southern Asia, most of the principal causes of the problems in the region have to do with autonomous dynamics and conflicts with lengthy histories that have little or nothing to do with U.S. actions. Rashid first covers the history and trajectory of the Taliban movement up through 1999 or so, and then circles back to discuss various particular themes related to the rise and reign of this peculiar and in many ways frightening religious movement. These include their draconian and inhumanly strict social agenda (particularly their horrendous treatment of women), the role of the drug trade and smuggling generally in Afghani (and Pakistani) society, the roles of various religious and ethnic factions within the conflicts afflicting the region, the wider set of geopolitical conflicts involving Afghanistan's neighboring nations plus the larger powers such as Russia and the U.S., and the important (and in the context of the post-September 11 war, suspicious) role of oil and gas-related intrigue in the dynamics of the region. All of these topics are treated carefully and analytically by Rashid, who offers thoughtful criticism of just about all parties involved in the current mess. Being Pakastini himself, he has perhaps the harshest words for his own government(s), who clearly were responsible for the rise of the Taliban beginning in 1994. Rashid places Pakistani support for the Taliban within a broader campaign to increase Pakistan's influence in the region. Unfortunately, as the author points out, the Taliban has ultimately exerted more influence and control over Pakistan's domestic situation than the Pakistanis have been able to exert over Mullah Omar and the rest of the Taliban. The United States certainly is shown to share in the blame for the current problems afflicting Afghanistan. It is well-known that the anti-Soviet war that began in 1979 was largely supported by the U.S. in proxy fashion through the Pakistani ISI intelligence agency. After the Soviets left in 1989, however, the Americans simply lost interest in the Afghani situation and when civil war and chaos emerged the Americans did virtually nothing to help ameliorate Afghanistan's woes. When the Taliban emerged in 1994 as a "stabilizing influence" for a war-torn nation, the Americans first considered supporting them, partly because it was believed the Taliban might be amenable to overtures by Unocal to build a pipeline through Afghanistan. Only when the Taliban clearly showed its misogynist, barbaric character did the Clinton administration finally begin to condemn them. By that time these "religious students" were already harboring Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda henchmen, thus setting the stage for the events of September 11 and since. Overall, *Taliban* is a fascinating but certainly depressing tale
of international and interethnic politics at its real-life worst. What emerges is a picture in which every nation, every religious denomination, every economic faction, and every ethnic group apparently acts purely out of short-term self-interest, with virtually no one exhibiting a willingness to respect the bigger, longer term picture or the "greater good." The American bombing campaign to drive the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan may seem heavy-handed and brutal, but within the context of the broader historical picture as portrayed by Rashid, it's apparently merely the latest version of "business as usual" in south Asian politics.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I read this book well before 9/11 and it's amazing that in the US section and in the conclusions he predicted that the biggest threat to the world was from Afghanistan and Bin Laden and that's indeed what happened. It's also interesting to see how Oil induced American foreign policy was, devoid of the impact to the areas focused upon. People think now that Oil being part of the agenda is a stretch. Read this book which was written well before Bush and 9/11 to understand what forces are really at play in that volatile region and how America shaped it. To extrapolate, does the Bush administration have a foreign policy around oil or is just the war on terror? You tell me....
Rating:
Summary: Still the best history of the Taliban available
Review: I recently had the opportunity to interview a number of Afghans who had fought throughout the mujahadeen and Taliban eras. Without Ahmed Rashid's wonderfully well designed book, I would have been totally lost. Using it as my primary reference always kept within immediate reach, I managed to muddle through quite well, and made some level of sense of the complicated ebb and flow of power in Afghanistan since 1979. If you are going to Afghanistan for professional humanitarian or military reasons you cannot afford not to have a copy of this outstanding work.
Rating: 
Summary: The first book to turn to
Review: If you want to learn about the Taliban, turn here first. Rashid gives you a clear picture of what the Taliban is, how it came to be, and why it came to be. It's a journalistic book, full of dates and names, but it's also a very engrossing tale of tragedy upon tragedy, and includes some interesting chapters on oil interests in Afghanistan.
Rating:
Summary: A tragic story of failed leadership
Review: Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a new field of study, which jokingly could be called "Talibanology" has arisen. The events of 9/11 evidently made many wonder as to the nature of the individuals behind such incredibly evil acts. From the sales figures, books on Islamic history and the Koran apparently skyrocketed after 9/11, due to the need for such understanding. This book however was published before 9/11 (in 2000 to be exact), and therefore gives a perspective on the Taliban that omits the hyperbolae that frequently accompanies more recent studies. There are many surprises in the book for those readers, such as this reviewer, who are not acquainted with the history and beliefs of the Taliban, and who need a study that is unfiltered by the biases of the Western press.
As the author explains, the word "talib" stands for "student of Islam", with "taliban" being the plural. A talib is one who is seeking knowledge, and is to be distinguished from a "mullah" who is a teacher. Apparently the Taliban chose to call themselves by that name in order to separate themselves from the Mujaheddin, and who wanted to "cleanse society" instead of engaging in a power struggle. Their ideal society was to be modeled after that of the Prophet Mohammed, and this was to be done using strict adherence to Islamic guidelines as put forth in the Koran. One can't help but ponder the fate of the Taliban if they would have relaxed their standards and attempted to have some intersection with other belief systems. Perhaps such pragmatism would have won them greater respect from the international community and prevented their antagonism with the United States.
The reader learns of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia being the principal suppliers of funding, weapons, and fuel to the Taliban in the 1990's. Considering they are now American "allies", this is interesting, and it shows just how fast governments can turn on each other. One also learns that the Taliban were Sunni Muslims, instead of Shia Muslims, the latter identification being incorrectly reported by the Western press. The Sunni Muslims despise the Shias, and vice versa, but it seems that the objects of hatred by the Taliban went beyond factional differences in the Islamic religion, for the Taliban, as one also learns in the book, forced Hindus residing in Afghanistan to wear yellow badges for purposes of identification.
The suffering of the people of Afghanistan in the last twenty-five years was not due solely to the Soviet invasion but also to other foreign meddling in its affairs. It was the demand by the international community to end the cultivation of poppy that exacerbated the economic crisis during the civil wars in Afghanistan. The opium trade apparently is going on full steam currently though, annoying many in the American government but apparently encouraged by the CIA in the early years of the Taliban government.
Western and non-Western interest in Afghanistan did not just happen after 9/11 however. As the author documents with crystal clarity, energy interests were the primary motivation for so many countries having their eyes fixated on Afghanistan for so many years. The author discusses the competition between Unocal, an American energy conglomerate, and Bridas, an oil company based in Argentina, to build a gas pipeline across Afghanistan. He is very candid in his discussion of how economic interests were behind most of the major conflicts in this region, which is refreshing considering that such interests are usually masked under the guise of some moral or higher purpose. This is especially true for the current war in Iraq waged by the United States and Great Britain, and to a lesser extent Italy and Australia, which is being sold as part of a general "war on terror".
The story of the Taliban is of course a tragic one, since in retrospect they could have been more constructive in their dealings with the international community. They were certainly a tenacious group though, and the reader learns from the author that the Taliban leadership, due to the many conflicts they engaged in, were the "most disabled" in the world. With justification, one can easily blame religion for their demise, as it has caused more suffering throughout human history than any other system of beliefs. Hopefully the Afghan people, with their new government, however illegitimate it might be, will see the errors of the Taliban and approach life with a more reasoned and healthy attitude; one that is free of religious dogmatism and open to alternative ideas and viewpoints.
Rating:
Summary: How to understand a new enemy....
Review: Taliban I have to say is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. Ahmed tells us the history of Afghanistan and how the Taliban came into power through bloody war. Also he tells us how the Taliban came together through the war with the Soviet's, and how they think. The Taliban ran Afghanistan until the U.S. led invasion threw them out of power in that country and established a provisional government ran by President Harmid Karzi. Of course this book came out in 2000 before they were thrown out of power, but the Taliban leaders banned sports, kite-flying, music, they destroyed women's rights forcing them to wear the buqura and not allowing them to attend school, to work, and they put some harsh rules which they go by the Shaiah rule. They wanted to bring back the time where the Prophet Muhammed was still alive; meaning that they wanted to bring Afghanistan back to the 7th century. Now when we look at the Taliban through this book, we wonder 'why would these men do something like this to women and be so damn strict?'. During the time of Muhammed, things were different in the 7th century, but things have changed and they didnt like what they saw in the world with women going to school, working, and being in society.
Women during the time of the Taliban were forced to stay inside the house and could not go out unless they were with a man of blood or their husband. It's sad that these men were so extreme, but under Islam, this is not the way that the prophet Muhammed wanted; he wanted peace and unity with the world, it was the Taliban who wanted to bring back the world to the 7th century, and am I glad we got rid of the Taliban? Yes, but still in Afghanistan; beyond Kabul, women are still treated like crap because of warlords that have rules like the Taliban. Is this book worth reading? Of course, but try to read it with a open mind and understand how these men think.
Rating:
Summary: A Different World that we must Understand
Review: The Taliban did not appear in Afghanistan by magic. With guile and ruthlessness, the Taliban leadership took advantage of poverty, despair and social breakdown to establish their position. Ahmed Rashid provides striking detail of Afghanistan's history relevant to the Taliban's rise to power. Afghans have long been tormented by the lack of an industrial base and by a byzantine reliance on a system of warlords for protection and commerce. The Taliban benefitted from our own country's short-sighted policy of arming them to fight the Soviets, while ignoring the religious fundamentalism and propensity for violence which the Taliban have always held. The book details the Taliban's obsessive, punitive, overnight dismantling of a culture which was diverse and vibrant despite perpetual poverty and feudal-like quasi-governance. The book benefits from having been written by a non-westerner and before the September 11 attack. There is no preaching or editorializing. Rashid simply provides well-annotated history and allows the reader to draw their conclusion from the facts presented (with the exception of the Conclusion, written in 2000, in which Rashid warned that continued chaos in Afghanistan would contribute to Islamic fundamentalism and regional instability with severe consequences worldwide). I would have rated the book 5 stars, but for the writing, which is dense - workmanlike rather than dynamic or particularly engaging. Nevertheless, for a view to a part of the world that now has relevance to our national security rather than merely to National Geographic specials, Mr. Rashid's book seems hard to beat.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Background
Review: This book provides excellent background material for understanding the rise, rule, and fall of the Taliban. Though written in 2000 when the Taliban were at the height of their power, and before the September 11th attacks, the book is far from outdated. The narrative begins in 1994 in Kandahar, with the rise of Mohammad Omar. Rashid then takes us on a blow-by-blow account of the battles that took the Taliban to Kabul. The second part of the book discusses various topics relating to Taliban rule, including Islamic Fundamentalism, the Taliban's political and military organization, the banning of women from public life, the basing of the economy on drugs and transshipment (smuggling), "Arab Afghans", and Osama Bin Laden. The book closes with a section that analyzes Taliban-run Afghanistan in a regional and global context. This section takes up the mutual influences and enmities between the Taliban, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the US. End material includes a sampling of Taliban decrees, a listing of Taliban leaders and the positions they held, a chronology of the Taliban from 1992 to September 2000, a chronology of the struggle to develop oil and gas resources and a pipeline through Afghanistan, a glossary of Afghan terms, a bibliography, endnotes citing sources for all factual material in the text, and an index.
Rashid was very well qualified to write such a book. As a Pakistani journalist, he had covered politics and wars in Afghanistan from the 1978 Soviet invasion. One striking observation that he makes about the difference between the Mujaheddin and the Taliban fighters early on was the cultural ignorance of the Taliban. When Rashid met and talked with Mujaheddin fighters during the 1980s while they were on maneuvers, they spoke to him as tribal members. Many did not have formal schooling, but they all knew their ancestry back many generations, and they had a trade or could make a living from the soil. Many Taliban fighters, on the other hand, had been raised in refugee camps in Pakistan, often as orphans. They were ignorant of their ancestry and tribal customs. Though they had attended "school", it had been at madrassahs, were they got rudimentary training in the religious ideas of mullahs, many of whom were unqualified as Islamic scholars. As refugees, they knew no trades, and had no connection to the land. Many had grown up outside of family structures and had no memories of interactions with women, not even with close female relatives. Thus it wasn't surprising that they had no skills at running a government or even interest in such activities once they came to power, or that they seemed to want women to just disappear.
The chapter on the Arab-Afghans is especially interesting. In it, Rashid documents the early influences the Saudi government and the CIA had (under the leadership of William Casey) in laying the groundwork for the Taliban. As far back as 1982, Pakistan had been allowing Islamic radicals free passage so they could fight Communism with the Mujaheddin. In 1986 and 1987, Casey got the CIA to support the Pakistani ISI in recruiting Islamic terrorists worldwide to fight with the Mujaheddin. The Saudis joined in, eager to both push Wahabbism in the region, as well as to provide a worthwhile cause for their own radical malcontents like Osama Bin Laden. Rashid describes how these radicals established terrorist training camps both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the relations between the Taliban and these foreign thugs.
Another point that Rashid raises in several places is the idea that is apparently common throughout the Islamic world that the fall of the Soviet Union was due primarily or solely to the Muslim Mujaheddin. In the West, we assume that the Mujaheddin played a small role in the drama, and that what really happened was an economic collapse, both because the Soviet system was rotten to the core, and because the Arms Race forced the Soviets to spend their last kopeck. This difference in opinion about the demise of the Soviet Union provides some insight into how disparate the worldview may be between the West and Islamic countries.
Any reader of this book when it first came out in 2000 could see that Afghanistan was a disaster waiting to happen. Rashid warns us that this is not only a powder keg waiting to blow, but that the fuse has already been lit. He stresses the dangers of ignoring the crisis, and continuing to make due with the status quo. But not even he could guess at the magnitude of the explosion when it finally came. With this in mind, one particularly ominous observation from Rashid is the following "The radical Islamicist discourse suffered from the same weaknesses and limitations as the Afghan Marxists did: as an all-inclusive ideology, they rejected rather than integrated the vastly different social, religious and ethnic identities that constitute Afghan society. Both the Afghan communists and Islamicists wanted to impose radical change on a traditional social structure by a revolution from the top. They wished to do away with tribalism and ethnicity by fiat, an impossible task, and were unwilling to accept the complex realities on the ground." Let's see-when the Coalition Forces threw out the Taliban and the UN stepped in to establish a new government, did they try to impose a democratic revolution from the top? Are they doing enough to understand how this complex traditional society works? Are they taking care of the needs of the all the disparate ethnic and tribal groups without showing undue favoritism? Could this be a factor why peace has yet to be established in Afghanistan?
|
