Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.

• Author: Luthra, Sonia
• Position: FURTHER READING - Book review

DESCENT INTO CHAOS: THE UNITED STATES AND THE FAILURE OF NATION BUILDING IN PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, AND CENTRAL ASIA

Ahmed Rashid

(New York: Viking Adult, 2008), 484 pages.

As the Obama administration has refocused attention from Iraq to the upsurge of violence in Afghanistan, regional experts, like Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, have been increasingly indispensable. Known for his prescience in alerting the public about the dangers of rising Islamist extremism before September 11th, Rashid's latest book examines the consequences of U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Pakistan after 9/11.

In Descent into Chaos, Rashid asserts that persistent U.S. inattention to Afghanistan and Pakistan following the 2003 invasion of Iraq allowed for the Taliban's return to Afghanistan and a re-solidification of its influence on both sides of the Durand Line. Instead of turning westward, he argues, the United States should have completed its mission and focused on building the institutional capacity and economy of the nascent Afghan state. He is highly critical of the U.S. approach to nation-building in Afghanistan, in particular its partnerships with warlords and relationship with the Pakistani state and military.

Rashid ends...