Afghanistan's Endless War

Larry Goodson, author of Afghanistan’s Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics and the Rise of the Taliban, analyzes events in Afghanistan during the last 20 years and the importance of Afghanistan’s future. In researching the book, Mr. Goodson combined interviews with Taliban leaders, some as recent as 1997, and field research to examine the history of the area and its divisions along ethnic, religious, social, and geographical lines. According to Mr. Goodson, the Taliban now controls approximately 80 percent of the country but is showing the effects of increased friction along political and ethnic lines. He explains the consequences of the war including the deaths of more than 2 million Afghans, the scattering of 6 million refugees and the collapse of the Afghan economy. Mr. Goodson uses visual aids to illustrate ethnic and geographical divisions. He answered audience questions. close