Descent into chaos : how the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia / Ahmed Rashid.

Summary: Since 9

11, the war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq, the West has been fighting a 'War an Terror', through force and through the building of new societies in the region. In this clear and devastating account, with unparalleled access and intimate knowledge of the political players, Descent into Chaos chronicles our failure. Having reported from Central Asia for a quarter of a century, Ahmed Rashid shows clearly why the war in Iraq is just a sideshow to the main event. Rather, it is Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the five Central Asian states that make up the crisis zone, for it is here that terrorism and Islamic extremism are growing stronger. Documenting with precision how intimately linked Pakistan is with the Taliban and other extremist movements, while remaining the US's main ally in the region, Rashid brings into focus the role of many regional issues in supporting extremism, from nuclear programmes to local rivalries, ineffectual peace-keeping to tyrannical rulers. For Rashid, at the heart of the failure in Iraq is the US's refusal to accept the need to build nations. Ambitious and urgent, analysing events, policies and personalities across the largest landmass in the world, Descent into Chaos chronicles with chilling accuracy why Islamic extremism is now stronger than ever.--BOOK JACKET.

Contents: Countries and Cities of Central Asia -- Ethnic Distribution Within Pakistan and Afghanistan -- Afghan Provinces and Federally Administered Tribal Areas -- NATO Deployment and Provincial Reconstruction Team Locations in Afghanistan, 2007 -- Opium Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan, 2007 -- Military Offensives Launched by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, 2007-2008 -- Imperial Overreach and Nation Building -- Pt. 1. 9

11 and War -- 1. A Man With a Mission: The Unending Conflict in Afghanistan -- 2. The U.S. Will Act Like a Wounded Bear: Pakistan's Long Search for Its Soul -- 3. The Chief Executive's Schizophrenia: Pakistan, the United Nations, and the United States Before 9

11 -- 4. Attack!: Retaliation and Invasion -- 5. The Search for a Settlement: Afghanistan and Pakistan at Odds -- Pt. 2. The Politics of the Post-9

11 World -- 6. A Nuclear State of Mind: India, Pakistan, and the War of Permanent Instability -- 7. The One-Billion-Dollar Warlords: The War Within Afghanistan -- 8. Musharraf's Lost Moment: Political Expediency and Authoritarian Rule -- Pt. 3. The Failure of Nation Building -- 9. Afghanistan I: Economic Reconstruction -- 10. Afghanistan II: Rebuilding Security -- 11. Double-Dealing With Islamic Extremism: Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan -- 12. Taliban Resurgent: The Taliban Return Home -- Pt. 4. Descent into Chaos -- 13. Al Qaeda's Bolt-Hole: Pakistan's Tribal Areas -- 14. America Shows the Way: The Disappeared and the Rendered -- 15. Drugs and Thugs: Opium Fuels the Insurgency -- 16. Who Lost Uzbekistan?: Tyranny in Central Asia -- 17. The Taliban Offensive: Battling for Control of Afghanistan, 2006-2007 -- 18. Conclusion: The Death of an Icon and a Fragile Future.

Formerly CIP.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 407-461) and index.