Afghanistan: What Everyone Needs to Know. Barnett R. Rubin, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020, 354 pp., US$74 (Hardback), ISBN 9780190496630

Strategic Analysis. 2021. Vol. 45. No. 4. P. 348–350.

Asatryan G.

Barnett Rubin, a former Advisor to the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as to the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, has rich experience in international negotiations with the Taliban. He was an important member of the negotiating team with the Taliban leaders during negotiations in 2007–2008, mediated by Saudi Arabia. Often, the leaders of the radical group communicated their official position to Washington through Rubin (pp. 276–277). Afghanistan: What Everyone Needs to Know is a historical account of modern Afghanistan, covering the occupation by the USSR (1978–1989), the civil war (1992–1996), the functioning of the Taliban Islamic Emirate (1996–2001) and the War on Terror (since 2001). The book has been enriched by Rubin’s deep understanding and insights of the Afghan conflict. In the book, Rubin has included contributions from three well-known Afghanistan experts—Antonio Giustozzi, David Mansfield and Nematullah Bizhan—making it a unique and invaluable resource to grasp the complex Afghan problem. The book is rooted in historicism—the theory that social and cultural events are determined by history—and is undoubtedly a sound academic work. The authors have used their vast knowledge to reflect on the broader contours of the Afghan conflict as well as the microscopic issues afflicting Afghanistan. The book provides an overview of Afghanistan’s geography, history, and culture and poses the question: ‘peace or more war’ in light of the ongoing negotiations between the Taliban, the United States, and the Afghan Government.

Keywords: Афганистан, борьба с терроризмом, Afghanistan, Taliban, Талибан, weakening of the USA, внешняя и оборонная политика США