© Columbia University Press
Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field
Paper, 420 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-70113-6
$26.00
October, 2009
Cloth, 420 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-70112-9
$40.00
"A valuable collection . . . [that] offer[s] important clues that could help to answer some of the most pressing foreign policy questions now confronting the Obama administration." — David Rhode, The New Republic
"This well-researched book contains valuable insight on the command and control of the Taliban." — Military Review
"Decoding the New Taliban is a serious and comprehensive collection of essays written by authorities on their subject matter that will directly benefit those who find themselves on the ground with the Afghan people and among the still evolving Neo-Taliban." — John Williams, Middle East Quarterly
"An outstanding and important collection—just the sort of locally specific, openly debatable, scholarly analysis . . . that will be required more and more if the international community is ever to understand the insurgents . . . as up-to-date as scholarship can be" — Steve Coll, The New Yorker
"Antonio Giustozzi draws together an excellent collection of perceptive essays from eminent and distinguished contributors. Focusing on developments in diverse Afghan localities ensures that there is much in the volume that is novel and instructive for both specialists and general readers." — William Maley, author of Rescuing Afghanistan
"Decoding the New Taliban could not be timelier. Research in Afghanistan is precarious at best, life-threatening at worst, and we owe a debt of thanks to the contributors of this volume for providing invaluable insights from their first-hand exposure to contemporary Afghan social and political realities. This volume is one of the only sources where one can find concrete, specific, and up-to-date information on the structure, strategy, and operations of the Taliban insurgents. Essential reading for anyone interested in bringing stability to this crucial region of the world." — David B. Edwards, Williams College, and author of Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad
"Far removed from usual clichés and hasty generalizations, Decoding the New Taliban offers a keen, first-hand sense of field research in Afghanistan, with all its uncertainties and contradictions. Working in different regions and themes, the authors offer new data and thought-provoking analyses. This book is an important step in understanding our failure in the current war." — Gilles Dorronsoro, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and author of Revolution Unending: Afghanistan 1979 to the Present