After the Taliban: Nation-Building in Afghanistan

AFTER THE TALIBAN could easily have been featured in our Military Shelf section but is reviewed here for its wider-ranging importance to any college-level collection strong in military policy, politics, social issues and Afghan culture. It provides an insider's account - from an American Ambassador who oversaw other nation-building efforts around the world - of the special challenges involved in rebuilding the region after the Taliban, examining relationships between the Afghan and Iraqi ventures and showing how resources have been drained from the original Afghan effort. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

"After the Taliban: Nation Building in Afghanistan" is only 179 pages, but it is the most informative foreign relations book that I have ever read. Although it isn't the easiest book to read (I plan to read it again to get it set in my mind), it shows clearly that TRUE diplomatic negotiations with the world requires a knowledgeable, THINKING, intelligent commander-in-chief who can select the RIGHT people to perform such important duties -- and will seek information and LISTEN to those assigned to deal with foreign countries. A person who thinks military solutions are the answer to delicate foreign relations will only create more problems for our nation in the 21st Century. The book was a great follow-up read to "Three Cups of Tea" which ended with the explosion of madrahsas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. (see my review) The last sentence of "After the Taliban" sums it up well: "Peace will not come to Afghanistan, or Iraq for that matter, until American military prowess is once again matched to an inclusive diplomatic strategy that has some prospect of gaining broad regional support." (p. 168)HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!