Descent into Chaos

By now, the reasons are quite well-known, such as the heavy reliance on warlords to keep order and help run Afghanistan and the preoccupation of the U.S. on searching for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda instead of conducting humanitarian and nation-building measures. Rashid covers all these issues extensively as he explains the dynamics and conflicts in Afghanistan and the often-inept policies of the U.S. and NATO forces. Any examination of Afghanistan's problems must include mention of Pakistan, which Rashid does a good job of exposing, and its overt interference, especially its deep-rooted support of Taliban and Islamic fundamentalists, is a strong reason for turmoil. Rashid also mentions the troubling effects of U.S. support to Central Asia dictators to combat 'terrorism' that has led to their increased repression of their people and the ironic effect of increasing fundamentalism.

There are myriad reasons for Afghanistan's continuing problems, which Rashid explains well, of which the most troubling is Pakistani military and intelligence service's tolerance and support of the Taliban, who have havens and camps within Pakistan.

While the book provides a superb summary of the crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan, there is not much in-depth analysis. Issues such as the poor governance of Afghan leader Hamid Karzai could have been touched on more.

Regardless, this insightful and comprehensive account sheds a lot of light. Readers will certainly come away with a deeper understanding of the troubles in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as, unfortunately, a sense of pessimism.

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