The Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in the International System

by Barnett R. Rubin

This monumental book examines Afghan society in conflict, from the 1978 communist coup to the fall of Najibullah, the last Soviet-installed president, in 1992. This edition, newly revised by the author, reflects developments since then and includes material on the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. It is a book that now seems remarkably prescient.

Drawing on two decades of research, Barnett R. Rubin, a leading expert on Afghanistan, provides a fascinating account of the nature of the old regime, the rise and fall of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, and the troubled Mujahidin resistance. He relates all these phenomena to international actors, showing how the interaction of U.S. policy and Pakistani and Saudi Arabian interests has helped to create the challenges of today. Rubin puts into context the continuing turmoil in Afghanistan and offers readers a coherent historical explanation for the country’s social and political fragmentation.

Praise for the earlier

“This study is theoretically informed, empirically grounded, and gracefully
written. Anyone who wants to understand Afghanistan’s troubled history and the
reasons for its present distress should read this book.” — Foreign Affairs

“This is the book on Afghanistan for the educated public.” — Political Science Quarterly

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Middle East

420 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Humayun Shinwari]

This is the most detailed account I ever have read about Afghanistan. Many info that I already had were really matching what Barney Rubin has noted. But again the details are so much that the reader would find it difficult to believe.

I would like to note the last sentence of Mr. Rubin and that can be labled as a political prediction that he had done in the mid-1990s and turned out to be very true. He says: "If the international community does not find ways to rebuild Afghanistan, a flood tide of weapons, cash and contraband will escape that State's porous boundaries and make the world less safe for all."

[Naeem]

For professionals only, I would say. You will not find a more detailed analysis of the structures and history of Afghanistan. But it is tough going.

[Maria]

interesting but oh so long

[Matteo]

I read it in school. It's a very dense, complicated academic book about Afghanistan. Basically, it gives a 20th century history of Afghanistan up to the departure of the Soviet occupiers in 1989. The main difficulty in reading it is the great number of factions and organizations into which Afghanistan was - as the name implies - fragmented.

It ends with a very prescient note (at the light of the Sept. 11th attacks) at the end about the consequences of Soviet and US policies towards Afghanistan.

[sam hill]

good but dense