Aspiration and Ambivalence

(Hardback)

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Description

After more than a decade of great effort and sacrifice by America and its allies, the Taliban still has not been defeated, and many Afghans believe that a civil war is coming. Vanda Felbab-Brown argues that allied efforts in Afghanistan have put far too little emphasis on good governance, concentrating too much on short-term military goals to the detriment of long-term peace and stability. The Western tendency to ally with bullies, warlords, smugglers, and other shady characters in pursuit of short-term military advantage actually empowers the forces working against good governance and long-term political stability.

Reviews

" Aspiration and Ambivalence is an eminently readable blend of broad perspective anddetailed fieldwork. An up-to-date and unflinchingly accurate account of where we are inAfghanistan, how we got there, and what is at stake. Its recommendations are soberlyrealistic. This is must reading for those trying to find the way ahead." Ronald E. Neumann, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan (200507)

"This important book, based on personal observation and careful research, is unsparing in its critique of recent American policy, but reserves its most scathing criticism for Hamid Karzai and the warlordism, corruption, and criminality that have undermined his regime. A must read for all who care about Afghanistan's future." Dov S. Zakheim, former U.S. under secretary of defense and author of A Vulcan's Tale: How the Bush Administration Mismanaged theReconstruction of Afghanistan

Author Bio

Vanda Felbab-Brown is a senior fellow with the 21st Century Defense Initiative and the Latin America Initiative in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. A frequent commentator on international conflict management, counterinsurgency, organized crime, and illicit economies, she is the author of Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs (Brookings, 2009).