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

Description

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.

Rubin argues that the origins, conduct and resolution of the war were a function of Afghanistan’s connections to the international community, for Afghanistan was incorporated into a state system not of its own making, and foreign financial and military assistance transformed both tribalism and fundamentalism to the point that they are as much creations of international conflict as the resurgence of local traditions. Using theories of state formation and breakdown and of revolution, Rubin provides a comparative framework that makes it possible to integrate this investigation with other studies of Cold War regional conflict and post-Cold War state breakdown.

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.

Reviews

“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

Author Biography

Barnett R. Rubin is professor of political science and director of studies and Senior Fellow at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. He previously served as director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations and was professor of political science at Yale and Columbia Universities. He serves as a consultant to ABC News and has been a regular guest on the NewsHour and The Charlie Rose Show.