Awards

• Commended for Helen Bernstein Book Award 2012

Overview

Few reporters have covered Afghanistan as intrepidly and humanely as Edward Girardet. In this gripping personal account, Girardet delivers a story of that nation's resistance fighters, foreign invaders, mercenaries, spies, aid workers, Islamic extremists and others who have defined Afghanistan's last thirty years of war, chaos and strife. Over thirty years Girardet's encounters with key figures - including Ahmed Shah Massoud, the famed ""Lion of Panjshir"" assassinated by al-Qaeda two days before 9/11, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Islamic extremist supported by the US during the 1980s only to become one of today's most anti-Western insurgents, and Osama bin Laden - shed extraordinary light on the personalities who have shaped the nation, and its current challenges, from corruption and narcotics trafficking to selfish regional interests. Killing the Cranes provides crucial insights into why the West's current involvement has turned into such a disaster, not only rekindling a new insurgency, but wasting billions of dollars on a recovery process that has shown scant success.

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9781603583428

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Reviews

Edward Girardet puts all of his thirty years' experience to use in this vivid, enlightening, humane, yet alarming book. Few other observers have had the determination to cover Afghan events from before the Soviet invasion to the preparations for American withdrawal. Girardet describes that whole saga, points out why and whether things could have gone differently, and explains the realistic prospects ahead. This is a life's-work testimony in the best sense. --James Fallows, author of Blind into Baghdad and Postcards from Tomorrow Square

Drawing on more than three decades of personal travels to Afghanistan, Edward Girardet offers a ruminating set of reflections on the history of the region and its diverse groups. He captures the dynamism, the pride, and the potential of the people living in Afghanistan. He also examines the limitations of military interventions and the possibilities for policies more deeply connected to rural communities. Girardet's book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of contemporary Afghanistan. --Jeremi Suri, author of Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from Washington to Obama <br><br>

After reading Killing the Cranes , I felt like I had spent three decades in Afghanistan at Girardet's side. This is the most thorough and knowledgeable book on Afghanistan I have come across, and his conclusions about what has gone wrong and what can be done about it are unassailable. --Howard Dean, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Vermont governor; author of Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform

Author Information

Edward Girardet is a journalist, writer, and producer who has reported widely from humanitarian and conflict zones in Africa, Asia and elsewhere since the late 70s. As a foreign correspondent based in Paris for The Christian Science Monitor, US News and World Report, and The Macneill/Lehrer NewsHour, he first began covering Afghanistan prior to the Soviet invasion in 1979. He has worked on numerous television current affairs and documentary segments on subjects ranging from the war in Angola to lost tribes in Western New Guinea, and currently lives in Switzerland.

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