Great game in Central Asia, Islam and the West, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and the West

Great game in Central Asia

Ahmed Rashid talks about the re- emergence of Taliban and how they are now contesting the US- led coalition

By Manoj Joshi

We in India have known of the ISI machinations, watched with bewilderment how it has run circles around its American allies, and dealt with the anti- Indian obsession of the Pakistan Army. Yet the story he has to tell is a tragic one. In the wake of the horrific Nine- Eleven, the United States was virtually backed by every country in the world in its decision to invade Afghanistan and root out the Taliban Taliban that had sheltered the Al Qaeda. The global effort led to the dawn of a new era in Afghanistan with the election of the Hamid Karzai government backed by the traditional Afghan Loya Jirga and elections. The warlords were brought under check, reconstruction aided by among others, India, was undertaken. But today, the country and the region stand on the brink of chaos. Just how we have reached there is the theme of the book which looks quite pitilessly at the failures of the US, the Karzai government, and the Pakistan government, dominated in these years by its army.

http://newageislam.com/great-game-in-central-asia/islam-and-the-west/d/413