In the graveyard of empires : America's war in Afghanistan

408 Pages·2010·3.82 MB·English

by  Jones

IN THE GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES
ALSO BY SETH G. JONES
The Rise of European Security Cooperation
IN THE GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES
America’s War in Afghanistan
SETH G. JONES
W. W. NORTON & COMPANY
New York London
Copyright © 2009 by Seth G. Jones All rights reserved
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,
write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
Unless otherwise noted, all maps were created by Carol Earnest.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jones, Seth G., 1972-
In the graveyard of empires: America’s war in Afghanistan / Seth G.
Jones.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-0-39307142-9
1. Afghan War, 20012. Counterinsurgency—Afghanistan.
3. Afghanistan—Politics and government—2001–4. Taliban. I. Title.
DS371.412.J665 2009
958.104’7—dc22 2009011740
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
To those
struggling for peace
in Afghanistan
CONTENTS
List of Maps and Graphs
Chronology
Photographic Insert
Introduction
1. Descent into Violence
2. The Mujahideen Era
3. Uncivil War
4. The Rise of the Taliban
5. Al Qa’ida’s Strategic Alliance
6. Operation Enduring Freedom
7. Light Footprint
8. Early Successes
9. The Logic of Insurgency
10. Collapse of Law and Order
11. A Growing Cancer
12. The Perfect Storm
13. A Three-Front War
14. National Caveats
15. The Water Must Boil
16. Al Qa’ida: A Force Multiplier
17. In the Eye of the Storm
18. Back to the Future
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
LIST OF MAPS AND GRAPHS
Figure Map of Afghanistan
1.1
Figure Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, 1979
2.1
Figure Taliban Conquest of Afghanistan
4.1
Figure Key Engagements against Taliban and al Qa’ida
6.1
Figure Pakistan’s Tribal Agencies
6.2
Figure Peak International Military Presence Per Capita
7.1
Figure Peak International Police Presence Per Capita
7.2
Figure International Financial Assistance Per Capita over First Two
7.3 Years
Figure U.S. and Coalition Battlefield Geometry, May 2004
8.1
Figure Opium Poppy Cultivation, 1991–2008
11.1
Figure The Insurgent Fronts
13.1
Figure Stages of NATO Expansion, 2007
14.1
CHRONOLOGY
1839–1842 First Anglo-Afghan War, which results in a crushing defeat for the
British. The departing force is reduced from 16,000 to one British soldier.
1878–1880 Second Anglo-Afghan War culminates in the Battle of Kandahar, in
which British forces decisively defeat Ayub Khan in September 1880.
1893 Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, British foreign secretary of India, signs an
agreement with the Afghan ruler, Amir Abdur Rehman Khan, separating
Afghanistan from British India on November 12. The demarcation is known
as the Durand Line.
1919 Third Anglo-Afghan War, which leads to the Treaty of Rawalpindi on
August 8, recognizing Afghan independence.
1929 King Amanullah Khan, who had led Afghanistan to independence and
attempted to modernize the country, is overthrown by Habibullah Kalakani,
a Tajik. Kalikani is overthrown several months later, marking the start of a
dynasty spanning five decades by the Pashtun Musahiban family. The first
leader is Muhammad Nadir Shah.
1933 Upon the assassination of Muhammad Nadir Shah, his son, Zahir Shah,
takes over at the age of nineteen, beginning one of Afghanistan’s longest
periods of stability in recent times. For thirty years, however, Zahir Shah
remains in the background while his relatives run the government.
1963 Zahir Shah takes control of Afghanistan and introduces an era of modernity
and democratic freedom.
1973 On July 16, Zahir Shah is overthrown in a coup d’état engineered by his
cousin, Daoud Khan, with support of the Afghan army.
1978 Afghan army and air force officers engineer a bloody coup on April 27 in
the Afghan lunar month of Sawr, and Daoud Khan is assassinated. Power is
transferred to Nur Mohammad Taraki, who establishes the Democratic
Republic of Afghanistan.
1979 Nur Mohammad Taraki is arrested by his deputy, Hafizullah Amin, and
executed. As instability grips the country, Soviet forces invade on Christmas
Eve. On December 27, Soviet Special Forces and KGB storm the