Overview

A masterful blend of graphic reporting, illuminating interviews, and insightful analysis. Ghosts of Afghanistan is the first account of Afghanistan's turbulent recent history by an independent eyewitness. Jonathan Steele, an award–winning journalist and commentator, has covered the country since his first visit there as a reporter in 1981. He tracked the Soviet occupation and the communist regime of Najibullah, which held the Western–backed resistance at bay for three years after the Soviets left. He covered the arrival of the Taliban to power in Kabul in 1996, and their retreat from Kandahar under the weight of U.S. bombing in 2001. Most recently Steele has reported from the epicenter of the Taliban resurgence in Helmand. Ghosts of Afghanistan turns a spotlight on the numerous myths about Afghanistan that have bedeviled foreign policy–makers and driven them to repeat earlier mistakes. Steele has conducted numerous interviews with ordinary Afghans, two of the country's Communist presidents, senior Soviet occupation officials, as well as Taliban leaders, Western diplomats, NATO advisers, and United Nations negotiators. Comparing the challenges facing the Obama Administration as it seeks to find an exit strategy with those the Kremlin faced in the 1980s, Steele cautions that military victory will elude the West just as it eluded the Kremlin. Showing how and why Soviet efforts to negotiate an end to the war came to nothing, he explains how negotiations today could put a stop to the tragedies of civil war and foreign intervention that have afflicted Afghanistan for three decades.

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9781582437873

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Advanced Praise for Ghosts of Afghanistan Steele has covered events in Afghanistan for many years, and he skewers with palpable glee the myths and half-truths that are peddled by politicians, generals, official spokesmen, and too many commentators. -- The Observer With the debate raging over whether to negotiate with the Taliban, or continue to slaughter its leadership in night raids in the hope of forcing a weakened movement to the table later, the author notes the grip of history on US military decision-making. -- The Telegraph In this original look at the West's obsession with Afghanistan the ghosts include, of course, the inevitable innocents who fall in war but also the public myths, official lies and inconvenient truths that lie behind so much of the bloodshed there. In a riveting chapter, Steele also puts to rest the notion that America had no choice but to go to war after Osama bin Laden's orchestration of the 9/11 attacks. --Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker Ghosts of Afghanistan is the best single book on the inter-related US policy crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan and should be read by all students of foreign affairs. --Selig S. Harrison, author of Out of Afghanistan: The Inside Story of the Soviet Withdrawal Jonathan Steele provides an astute and powerful analysis of Afghanistan's recent history. As a correspondent who witnessed many of the key events at first-hand, his account is enriched by insights from Afghans from across the political arena, which both contribute to an understanding of the country's turbulent history and help to demolish some of the prevailing myths. This work raises important questions about the purpose and effectiveness of ten costly years of international engagement in Afghanistan, and should be required reading for those planning the imminent transition to full Afghan control. --Jolyon Leslie, author of Afghanistan: The Mirage of Peace Drawing on more than three decad Advanced Praise for Ghosts of Afghanistan In this original look at the West's obsession with Afghanistan the ghosts include, of course, the inevitable innocents who fall in war but also the public myths, official lies and inconvenient truths that lie behind so much of the bloodshed there. In a riveting chapter, Steele also puts to rest the notion that America had no choice but to go to war after Osama bin Laden's orchestration of the 9/11 attacks. --Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker Ghosts of Afghanistan is the best single book on the inter-related US policy crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan and should be read by all students of foreign affairs. --Selig S. Harrison, author of Out of Afghanistan: The Inside Story of the Soviet Withdrawal Jonathan Steele provides an astute and powerful analysis of Afghanistan's recent history. As a correspondent who witnessed many of the key events at first-hand, his account is enriched by insights from Afghans from across t

Advanced Praise for Ghosts of Afghanistan <br> In this original look at the West's obsession with Afghanistan the ghosts include, of course, the inevitable innocents who fall in war but also the public myths, official lies and inconvenient truths that lie behind so much of the bloodshed there. In a riveting chapter, Steele also puts to rest the notion that America had no choice but to go to war after Osama bin Laden's orchestration of the 9/11 attacks. --Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker <br> Ghosts of Afghanistan is the best single book on the inter-related US policy crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan and should be read by all students of foreign affairs. --Selig S. Harrison, author of Out of Afghanistan: The Inside Story of the Soviet Withdrawal <br> Jonathan Steele provides an astute and powerful analysis of Afghanistan's recent history. As a correspondent who witnessed many of the key events at first-hand, his account is enriched by insights from Afghans from across t

Author Information

Jonathan Steele is the former chief foreign correspondent for the Guardian. He has won numerous journalistic awards, and he has twice been named International Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards. A regular broadcaster on the BBC and CNN, Steele has written several books on international affairs. He lives in London.

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