The Fragmentation of Afghanistan

Description

This monumental book examines Afghan society in conflict, from the 1978 communist coup to the fall of Najibullah, the last Soviet-installed president, in 1992. This edition, newly revised by the author, reflects developments since then and includes material on the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. It is a book that now seems remarkably prescient. Drawing on two decades of research, Barnett R. Rubin, a leading expert on Afghanistan, provides a fascinating account of the nature of the old regime, the rise and fall of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, and the troubled Mujahidin resistance. He relates all these phenomena to international actors, showing how the interaction of U.S. policy and Pakistani and Saudi Arabian interests has helped to create the challenges of today. Rubin puts into context the continuing turmoil in Afghanistan and offers readers a coherent historical explanation for the country’s social and political fragmentation. Praise for the earlier edition: “This study is theoretically informed, empirically grounded, and gracefully written. Anyone who wants to understand Afghanistan’s troubled history and the reasons for its present distress should read this book.”—Foreign Affairs “This is the book on Afghanistan for the educated public.”—Political Science Quarterly Contents Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Political Map of Afghanistan 1. Afghanistan, Mirror of the World Part I / The Old Regime: State, Society, and Politics 2. Social Structure under the Old Regime 3. State, Tribe, and the International System: From Gunpowder Empires to the Cold War 4. Rentier State and Rentier Revolutionaries Part II / The PDPA in Power: From the Second Cold War to the Collapse of the USSR 5. Failure of Revolution from Above 6. Under Soviet Occupation: Party, State, and Society, 1980-1985 7. Soviet Withdrawal, Political Retreat: State and Society, 1986-1991 Part III / The Islamic Resistance: Mujahidin, Society, and the International System 8. Origins of the Movement of Jihad 9. International Aid, War, and National Organization 10. International Aid, War, and Local and Regional Organization 11. Mujahidin after Soviet Withdrawal 12. State Collapse after the Cold War: Afghanistan without Foreign Aid Appendix A: Note on Sources Appendix B: Political Actors in Afghanistan Appendix C: Financing of Government Expenditure, 1952-1988 Notes Glossary Bibliography Index