Karzai: The Failing American Intervention and the Struggle for Afghanistan

by Nick B. Mills

Overview

The untold story of Hamid Karzai's dramatic rise to the presidency of Afghanistan and the problems he and his country face

In 2004, Hamid Karzai was elected president in Afghanistan's first-ever democratic election. Today, criticized for indecisiveness and targeted for assassination by extremists, President Karzai struggles to build on the country's modest post-Taliban achievements before civil unrest undermines his government.

Now, author Nick Mills draws on months of candid personal interviews with the charismatic Afghan president to offer a revealing portrait of the figure known to millions by his familiar uniform of karakul cap and long green chappan. Timely and compelling, Karzai tells the fascinating story of a unique leader with a keen intellect, a natural gift for storytelling, and a presidency in peril.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470134009
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	08/01/2007
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	8.68(w) x 10.92(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

NICK B. MILLS is an Associate Professor of Journalism at Boston University’s College of Communication. He first met Hamid Karzai while serving as field director of Boston University’s Afghan Media Project, which helped establish the Afghan Media Resource Center (AMRC) in 1987.

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Table of Contents

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

A Brief History of Afghanistan.

Introduction.

1. Hamid Karzai.

2. The Beginning of Jihad.

3. Defeating a Superpower.

4. Losing the Peace: As the World Withdraws.

5. The Rise of the Taliban.

6. September 11, 2001: The War on Terror Begins in Afghanistan.

7. The Fall of the Taliban: A New Beginning for Afghanistan.

8. Building a New Afghanistan.

9. Progress, Promise, and Problems: The Road Ahead.

Epilogue.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Mills (journalism, Boston Univ.) has for many years worked with his university's Afghan Media Project. He conducted a series of exclusive interviews with Afghan president Hamid Karzai in order to help Karzai with his autobiography, Letter from Kabul. When Karzai backed out of that publication project, Wiley approached Mills to present the material himself in the context of Afghanistan's struggles during the 20-plus years of Karzai's political life. Mills focuses on the government's official actions, paying less attention to several dissident groups just below the radar. His book, and his discussions with Karzai, make very clear both the difficult issues confronting the Afghan people and Mills's opinion that the West should continue to support the current government. Libraries wanting a more complete current history of Afghanistan, rather than only through the Karzai filter, should consider Gilles Dorronsoro's Revolution Unending: Afghanistan, 1979 to the Present.Mills's book will be useful for larger collections.
—Marcia L. Sprules

Library Journal