The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan: A Chronicle Foretold

by Tariq Ali

Overview

The occupation of Afghanistan is over, and a balance sheet can be drawn. These essays on war and peace in the region reveal Tariq Ali at his sharpest and most prescient.

Rarely has there been such an enthusiastic display of international unity as that which greeted the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Compared to Iraq, Afghanistan became the “good war.” But a stalemate ensued, and the Taliban waited out the NATO contingents. Today, with the collapse of the puppet regime in Kabul, what does the future hold for a traumatised Afghan people? Will China become the dominant influence in the country?

Tariq Ali has been following the wars in Afghanistan for forty years. He opposed Soviet military interven- tion in 1979, predicting disaster. He was also a fierce critic of its NATO sequel, Operation Enduring Freedom. In a series of trenchant commentaries, he has described the tragedies inflicted on Afghanistan, as well as the semi-Talibanisation and militarisation of neighbouring Pakistan. Most of his predictions have proved accurate. The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan: A Chronicle Foretold brings together the best of his writings and includes a new introduction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781839768170
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	11/30/2021
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,054,754
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 5.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Tariq Ali has written more than two-dozen books on world history and politics — the most recent of which are The Clash of Fundamentalisms, The Obama Syndrome and The Extreme Centre — as well as the novels of his Islam Quintet and scripts for the stage and screen. He is a long-standing member of the editorial committee of New Left Review and lives in London.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction xix

I Moscow, Washington, Lahore: 1979-2000

1 Soviet Troops Out of Afghanistan! 3

2 Between the Hammer and the Anvil 6

3 The Arrival of the Taliban 24

4 'Try and Disarm Us If You Can' 34

II Operation Enduring Disaster: 2001-08

5 Into Pakistan's Maelstrom 45

6 The King of Greater Afghanistan 49

7 The Dam Will Burst Sooner or Later 53

8 So, Was It Worth It? 57

9 The Terror Trail 66

10 A Doomed Mission 76

11 A Favourite Attack Dog in the Imperial Kennel 81

12 Mirage of the Good War 85

13 Why a 'Surge' Would Bring Fresh Disasters 114

III AF-PAK is Burning: 2008-11

14 Next Door to War 125

15 The American War Moves to Pakistan 138

16 On the North-West Frontier 143

17 Imperial Diktats 153

18 A War Gone Badly Wrong 157

19 It's No Secret What Pakistan's Been Doing with the Taliban 159

20 'Why Kill the Goose?' 163

21 The Abbottabad Incident 167

22 More Cover-Up than Self-Criticism 177

23 'Breaches of Sovereignty' 181

IV Impending Defeat: 2012-21

24 Obama's Only Way out of Afghanistan Is to Talk 187

25 The Not-So-Lone Gunman 191

26 Pakistan's Future Is Tied to the Taliban 194

27 Twenty Years after 9/11 198

Appendix: Russian Lessons 209

Acknowledgements 243

Editorial Reviews

Ali’s discussion of Afghanistan is highly valuable because of the questions it raises … a starting point for a much-needed debate.”
—New York Times

“The typical Financial Times reader might find his bias so irksome they cannot continue. This would be a pity.”
—Financial Times

“Evergreen … Ali has argued against each occupation from its beginning; the result is an embittered, haunting refrain.”
—Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews

“A key contribution to make sense of the decades-long events that culminated in the chaotic scenes at Kabul’s airport in August 2021.”
—Marc Martorell Junyent, Inside Arabia

“No one, Left or Right, has followed the misadventure of US policy in Afghanistan with such dogged attention and keen insight.”
—Paul Buhle, Counterpunch

“Erudite and committed … This collection is indispensable for forming an understanding of what has happened and why.”
—Andrew Murray, Morning Star

“Unlike pro-interventionist liberal and even conservative interpretations of Afghanistan’s recent history, Ali’s anti-imperialist understanding provides the glue that binds the bloody tale together.”
—Ron Jacobs, Counterpunch

“Brilliant and incisive … a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the causes and consequences of the decades-long turmoil in Afghanistan.”
—N.P. Ullekh, Open the Magazine

“Witty, insightful, and full of detail … a book replete with encounters and anecdotes, evocative descriptions, and a brutal honesty about the corrupting power of war.”
—Terina Hine, Counterfire

From the Publisher