Talibanistan : Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion

The longest war the United States has ever fought is the ongoing war in Afghanistan. But when we speak of "Afghanistan," we really mean a conflict that straddles the border with Pakistan—and the reality of Islamic militancy on that border is enormously complicated. In Talibanistan, an unparalleled group of experts offer a nuanced understanding of this critical region. Edited by Peter Bergen, author of the bestselling books The Longest War and The Osama Bin Laden I Know, and Katherine Tiedemann, these essays examine in detail the embattled territory from Kandahar in Afghanistan to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. They pull apart the distinctions between the Taliban and al Qaeda—and the fractures within each movement; assess the effectiveness of American and Pakistani counterinsurgency campaigns; and explore the pipeline of militants into and out of the war zone. Throughout, these scrupulously researched studies challenge convenient orthodoxies. Counterterrorism expert Brian Fishman criticizes the customary distinction between an Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as being too neat to describe their fragmented reality. Hassan Abbas paints a subtle portrait of the political and religious forces shaping the insurgency in the Northwest Frontier Province, uncovering poor governance, economic distress, and resentment of foreign troops in nearby Afghanistan. And Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann try to identify the real numbers of drone strikes and victims, both militants and civilians, while disputing claims for their strategic effectiveness. These and other essays provide profound new insight into this troubled region. They are required reading for anyone seeking a fresh understanding of a central strategic challenge facing the United States today. "The longest war the United States has ever fought is the ongoing war in Afghanistan. But when we speak of 'Afghanistan, ' we really mean a conflict that straddles the border with Pakistan -- and the reality of Islamic militancy on that border is enormously complicated. In Talibanistan, an unparalleled group of experts offer a nuanced understanding of this critical region. Edited by Peter Bergen, author of the bestselling books The Longest War and The Osama Bin Laden I Know, and Katherine Tiedemann, these essays examine in detail the embattled territory from Kandahar in Afghanistan to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. They pull apart the distinctions between the Taliban and al Qaeda -- and the fractures within each movement; assess the effectiveness of American and Pakistani counterinsurgency campaigns; and explore the pipeline of militants into and out of the war zone. Throughout, these scrupulously researched studies challenge convenient orthodoxies. Counterterrorism expert Brian Fishman criticizes the customary distinction between an Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as being too neat to describe their fragmented reality. Hassan Abbas paints a subtle portrait of the political and religious forces shaping the insurgency in the Northwest Frontier Province, uncovering poor governance, economic distress, and resentment of foreign troops in nearby Afghanistan. And Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann try to identify the real numbers of drone strikes and victims, both militants and civilians, while disputing claims for their strategic effectiveness. These and other essays provide profound new insight into this troubled region. They are required reading for anyone seeking a fresh understanding of a central strategic challenge facing the United States today."--Publisher's description Militancy and conflict across the FATA and NWFP / by Brian Fishman Al-Qaeda's allies: explaining the relationship between al-Qaeda and various factions of the Taliban after 2001 / by Anne Stenersen North Waziristan / by Mansur Khan Mahsud, Anand Gopal, and Brian Fishman South Waziristan / by Mansur Khan Mahsud Pakistan's coin flip: the recent history of Pakistani military counterinsurgency operations in the NWFP and FATA / by Sameer Lalwani Drone strikes in Pakistan / by Peter Bergen and Jennifer Rowland My drone war / by Pir Zubair Shah FATA poll / by Peter Bergen, Patrick Doherty, and Ken Ballen Inside Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province: the changing political landscape / by Hassan Abbas Bajaur / by Rahmanullah The Swat Valley / by Daud Khattak Zabul and Uruzgan / by Martine van Bijlert Kandahar / by Anand Gopal Reconciliation / by Thomas Ruttig The 80 percent solution: the strategic defeat of bin Laden's al-Qaeda and implications for South Asian security / by Thomas F. Lynch III. The longest war the US has ever fought is the ongoing war in Afghanistan. But by 'Afghanistan' we really mean a conflict that straddles the border with Pakistan - and the reality of Islamic militancy on that border is enormously complicated. This book examines in detail the embattled territory from Kandahar in Afghanistan to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas