Failure In Afghanistan: Failed Peace Talks, The Taliban, And Afghan Refugees

On August 15, 2021, the American and NATO involvement in Afghanistan came to an inglorious end as American diplomats were flown out of the Kabul airport along with thousands of Afghans fleeing the Taliban. How did Afghanistan get to this inglorious moment? Failure in Afghanistan provides a clear explanation of how we got there and why the attempt to create a western style democracy went wrong in this impoverished country. It provides a basic grounding, describing the country, its people and the history of American involvement even prior to the 911 bombing. Farr then moves to analyze the failure to create a new constitution or a two-house parliament, or to hold fair elections. Focussing on the inability to create a functioning national Afghan army, Farr investigates the limitations of illiteracy, ethnic differences, and corruption. In the last four decades, over one third of the country's population has fled as refugees in the last four decades. As such, the book examines not only where these refugees went and what happened to them, but also now that many refugees are returning (voluntarily or otherwise), how they are reintegrating, or not, back into Afghan society.Written in clear and accessible terms, this book is intended for a wide audience. However, its detailed history and fresh new insights make this book a valuable tool for students and scholars in fields related to Afghanistan, the Middle East, and American overseas involvement.