Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires: A New History of the Borderland

by David Isby

Veteran defense analyst and Afghanistan expert David Isby provides an insightful and meticulously researched look at the current situation in Afghanistan, her history, and what he believes must be done so that the US and NATO coalition can succeed in what has historically been known as “the graveyard of empires.”

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world with one of the lowest literacy rates. It is rife with divisions between ethnic groups that dwarf current schisms in Iraq, and all the groups are lead by warlords who fight over control of the drug trade as much as they do over religion. The region is still racked with these confrontations along with conflicts between rouge factions from Pakistan, with whom relations are increasingly strained. After seven years and billions of dollars in aid, efforts at nation-building in Afghanistan has produced only a puppet regime that is dependent on foreign aid for survival and has no control over a corrupt police force nor the increasingly militant criminal organizations and the deepening social and economic crisis.

The task of implementing an effective US policy and cementing Afghani rule is hampered by what Isby sees as separate but overlapping conflicts between terrorism, narcotics, and regional rivalries, each requiring different strategies to resolve. Pulling these various threads together will be the challenge for the Obama administration, yet it is a challenge that can be met by continuing to foster local involvement and Afghani investment in the region.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Middle East

464 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2010

About the author

David Isby is an acclaimed author, attorney, and national defense consultant. In Washington, first as a congressional staff member and, subsequently, as a consultant on national security issues, Isby has worked for numerous firms with a range of governmental and private sector clients. He continues to write extensively on national security and military history topics, and is an author or editor of more than 20 books and 350 essays and articles in publications including International Defense Review, USA Today, Washington Times, Jane's Defense Weekly, Strategic Review, Comparative Strategy, Jamestown Terrorism Monitor, and Jane's Intelligence Review. He also has lectured at many staff colleges including National Defense University, US Army War College, US Army Command and General Staff College, Air Command & Staff College, US Marine Corps Command and General Staff College, Naval Postgraduate School, and other institutions.

Reviews

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why exactly, but I found this one kind of boring. Certainly didn't expect to, but there you go. As I often am inclined to say when listening to something on audio and not loving it against expectation, maybe this was something better read in print. Anyway, I'll be charitable and give it three stars, even though enjoyment level it was probably more like a two.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

reviews criticize his writing yet his analysis really helped me, compared to the tome The Great Game, which for me was way too dry and lacking in analysis and context.
I learned a lot but wish it had been written more recently.

[Vaidyanathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read. Learnt a lot.

A little bit of authoritative writing, though. Expects you to have some prior level of understanding of what happened Sócio politically before you read this.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dated, marked by repetitions and misspellings, and not a history at all, but a situation report from about 2009.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written 10 years before our disastrous departure, we knew it would end the way it did. Sheesh. Guess our profiteering politicians hadn't made all the profits they wanted until 2021.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good info, but not much history.

[Karyle Frazier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, however I could not finish it. David Isby's writing is hard to sludge through, on a topic that maybe no one can really ever understand.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good details, but this gentleman needs to learn how to write readable sentences.

[Angela]

A beast of a book. Full of information but lacking any real narrative. Hard to get through. Only made it halfway.