Breeding Ground : Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism

Beginning With The Communist Saur Revolution Of 1978 And Continuing Through Gen. David Petraeus's 2010 Appointment Replacing Stanley Mcchrystal As Commander Of U.s. Forces In Afghanistan, This Book Is An Inside Account Of One Of The Most Vicious Conflicts Fought Between The Two Cold War Superpowers: The Soviet War In Afghanistan (1979-89). Analyzing The Behind-the-scenes Decisions Made In Moscow, Washington, And Kabul, Former Bbc Correspondent Deepak Tripathi Shows How That Conflict Transformed Afghanistan Into A Sanctuary For Terrorism. Explaining How Afghanistan Descended Into A Civil War From Which The Taliban Emerged, Tripathi Explores The Ways In Which The Country Ultimately Became A Grotesque Mirror Image Of The Anticommunist Alliance Of U.s. Forces And Radical Islamists In The Cold War's Final Phase. Calling For A Departure From The Current Pursuit Of Military Strong-arm Tactics, He Advocates An Approach That Is Centered On Development, Internal Reconciliation, And Societal Reconstruction In Afghanistan. --book Jacket. The Concept Of Terror -- Culture Of Violence -- Afghanistan In The Cold War -- Afghanistan Under Communism -- Toward Disintegration -- The Second Communist Coup -- Let Battle Commence -- The Reagan Offensive -- Consequences Of The U.s.-soviet War -- The Final Days Of Communism -- The Remaking Of The Post-soviet World -- The Rise Of The Taliban -- Dialectics Of The Afghan Conflict -- The Nature Of Al-qaeda -- Conclusion -- Afterword -- Appendices. Deepak Tripathi ; Foreword By Richard Falk. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The military adventure that George W. Bush embarked on within months of his inauguration in 2001 was to eclipse everything else in his presidency. His name will forever be synonymous with the “war on terror.” What started as a military response to al Qaeda’s attacks in New York and Washington on 9/11, with the goal of neutralizing al Qaeda and its Taliban hosts in Afghanistan, quickly fused with the neo-conservative agenda to dominate and reshape the Middle East. Al Qaeda’s terrorism was answered by the terror of American military power, which has destroyed or blighted the lives of millions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. Deepak Tripathi, a former BBC correspondent who has kept a keen eye on the region for more than three decades, identifies systematically the naive calculations, strategic and operational blunders, disregard for history and for other cultures, and even downright prejudice that have brought so much harm to so many. The legacy of Bush’s foreign policy will take years to overcome, Tripathi argues. His war on terror provoked resentment and violent opposition, opened up sectarian divisions, and created Hobbesian conditions of war of all against all. The long-term price tag for America has been estimated at a colossal $3 trillion, but as Tripathi seeks to demonstrate, the overall cost, in human and economic terms, will be incalculable. Beginning with the Communist Saur Revolution of 1978 and continuing through Gen. David Petraeus’s 2010 appointment replacing Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, this book is an inside account of one of the most vicious conflicts fought between the two Cold War superpowers: the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979–89). Analyzing the behind-the-scenes decisions made in Moscow, Washington, and Kabul, former BBC correspondent Deepak Tripathi shows how that conflict transformed Afghanistan into a sanctuary for terrorism. Explaining how Afghanistan descended into a civil war from which the Taliban emerged, Tripathi explores the ways in which the country ultimately became a grotesque mirror image of the anticommunist alliance of U.S. forces and radical Islamists in the Cold War’s final phase. Calling for a departure from the current pursuit of military strong-arm tactics, he advocates an approach that is centered on development, internal reconciliation, and societal reconstruction in Afghanistan. Deepak Tripathi is a former BBC journalist (1977–2000). He set up the BBC office in Kabul in the early 1990s, was the corporation’s resident correspondent in Afghanistan, and reported from Pakistan, Syria, Sri Lanka, and India. He lives near London. Foreword by John Tirman ix Acknowledgments xiii Prologue 1 1 Anatomy of Neoconservatism 7 2 With Us or Without Us 21 3 Battle for Afghanistan 33 4 In Afghanistan, War Is Peace 47 5 Explaining the Invasion of Iraq 61 6 Human Rights in Acute Crisis 73 7 Rebuke of History 85 8 Dimensions of Failure 99 9 Power Without Prudence 113 Epilogue 123 Appendix A: Project for the New American Century Statement of Principles 129 Appendix B: Address to the Nation by President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001 133 Appendix C: Article 3 of the Third Geneva Convention, on the Treatment of Prisoners of War 135 Appendix D: Farewell Address to the Nation by President George W. Bush, January 15, 2009 137 Appendix E: Barack Obama’s Victory Speech, November 5, 2008 143 Appendix F: President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009 149 Notes 155 Bibliographic Essay 171 Index 175 The concept of terror Culture of violence Afghanistan in the Cold War Afghanistan under communism Towards disintegration The second communist coup Let battle commence The Reagan offensive Consequences of the US-Soviet war The final days of communism The remaking of the post-Soviet world The rise of the Taliban Dialectics of the Afghan conflict The nature of Al-Qa'ida Conclusion Afterword Appendix A: A chronology (summary) Appendix B: US and Soviet leaders Appendix C: Afghan opposition parties in the Cold War Appendix D: Osama bin Laden's statement (October 7, 2001) Appendix E: September 11, 2001 hijackers Appendix F: Bibliographical essay.