Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics and the Rise of the Taliban »

Goodson (international studies, Bentley College) analyzes the civil wars that wracked Afghanistan throughout the 1990s, with a focus on the reasons for state failure in the Central Asian country. After looking at some of the factors that affected Afghanistan as the playing board of the imperial "great game" of Britain and Russia, he turns his attention to the Islamist rebellion against the Soviet-backed Najibullah regime. Here, he ignores the role of the United States in fomenting the destabilization of Afghanistan with imported Islamist rebels, repeatedly implying that the mujahedeen were a purely local institution. He then recognizes that the civil wars that broke out among the former U.S.-backed warlords sounded the death knell for hopes of a stable government until the Taliban swept into the vacuum of power. The chapter on the future of Afghanistan is necessarily dated because of its inability to foresee the U.S. attack on the country and the subsequent installation of the government of Hamid Karzai. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Publishers Weekly

While the current tragedy of Afghanistan is well known, its history remains relatively unknown. This comprehensive academic text written and prepared before Sept. 11 and the subsequent U.S. air strikes on the Taliban examines the past few decades, delving into the interwoven historical, political, economic and geographic factors that precipitated the country's woes. There's information here that will surprise some, such as Goodson's emphasis on the role of Pakistan in bringing the Taliban to power; and the weakness of support for the Taliban outside of the Pashtun tribe. The overall argument about Afghanistan's disintegration has been well covered in the media, but Goodson, a professor of international studies, highlights the impact of interethnic conflicts, exacerbated by the destructive intervention of the U.S.S.R., the United States and Pakistan. There's also more depth, complexity and detail here than the media can provide for example, Goodson estimates that 15% of the population has died since fighting first broke out in 1978. The only solution he offers is the one the West wants a multiethnic, power-sharing government. But writing before the current conflict, Goodson holds little optimism: "the situation there is terrible, and prospects for the future are dismal." And ominously, Goodson believes the collapse of state power in Afghanistan could occur elsewhere in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. General readers might find the book dense and dry, but it provides a helpful background to Afghanistan's current morass. A paperback edition is due in March. (Dec.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.