Chaos In Kandahar

“I wish with all my heart that you were in school. I love my country, Daughter, but here we have been robbed of our most precious gifts: thought and imagination. Only in an atmosphere of peace and security can artists, poets, and writers flourish. Without our artists and storytellers, we have no history, and without history our future is unmoored—we drift. It is art, never war, that carries culture forward.”

No Ordinary Men peels back the cloak of secrecy and reveals four untold special operations that Joint Task Force 2, an elite counterterrorist unit, conducted in 2005–06 in which their courage, tenacity, and impressive capabilities meant the difference between life and death.

Canada's relationship with the United States and its place in the world currently occupy distinct spheres in the minds of policymakers, intellectuals, and citizens. At home, Canada is thought to enjoy a "special" relationship with the United States; abroad, it occupies a place as the world's problem-solver and peacekeeper. Patrick Lennox analyzes six key events in the history of relations between the two countries to reveal the underlying connection between the Canada-US relationship and Canada's place in the world. The war in Afghanistan is but the latest in a series of paradoxical interactions between the two states abroad that has resulted from the hierarchy in Canada-US relations at home.

Forty years ago, as the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnam, questions were raised in Canada about the relationship between its foreign policy agenda and that of its southern neighbour. Now, with the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is time to raise the same questions: does Canada need an independent foreign policy? Does Canada have the capacity and will to chart its own course? Divided into sections about the history of Canadian foreign policy, diplomacy, security, economics, decision-making and new policy issues, this collection of prominent political scientists provides valuable and timely perspectives on the state of Canada's international relations in the twenty-first century. Examining pertinent issues such as defence, security, the Arctic, global environmental cooperation, NAFTA, and the post-9/11 world, these accessible and insightful essays are a long-overdue reassessment of Canada and its current role in international affairs. An Independent Foreign Policy for Canada? asks the question that is perhaps more important now than forty years ago and supplies answers so pertinent to the twenty-first century. Contributors Brian Bow Adam Chapnick Stephen Clarkson Patricia Goff Stephanie R. Golob Geoffrey Hale Rob Huebert Christopher Kukucha Patrick Lennox Christopher Sands Heather A. Smith

AFGHANISTAN- the name conjures images of rugged mountains, ancient cities, hardened Mujaheddin, a country rife with regional rivalries, and the eternal struggle between Tajik and Pashtun. Afghanistan comes to life in this epic adventure of love, betrayal, and war. Young Tajik Ahmed JanÂ1s heroic journey begins in the Northern Alliance stronghold near Taloqan just a month prior to 9/11. He is swept away by the chaos that soon engulfs the country before a chance discovery propels him to the forefront of the clash between civilizations. Pursued by both the CIA and al-Qaeda, he struggles to save his people from obliteration and find the true meaning of life in a land where all seems lost.

Abdul Zaeef describes growing up in poverty in rural Kandahar province, which he fled for Pakistan after the Russian invasion of 1979. Zaeef joined the jihad in 1983, was seriously wounded in several encounters and met many leading figures of the resistance, including the current Taliban head, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Disgusted by the lawlessness that ensued after the Soviet withdrawal, Zaeef was one among the former mujahidin who were closely involved in the emergence of the Taliban, in 1994. He then details his Taliban career, including negotiations with Ahmed Shah Massoud and role as ambassador to Pakistan during 9/11. In early 2002 Zaeef was handed over to American forces in Islamabad and spent four and a half years in prison in Bagram and Guantanamo before being released without charge. My Life with the Taliban offers insights into the Pashtun village communities that are the Taliban's bedrock and helps to explain what drives men like Zaeef to take up arms against the foreigners who are foolish enough to invade his homeland.

One of the most critical battles of the Afghan War is now revealed as never before. Lions of Kandahar is an inside account from the unique perspective of an active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces commander. As then-Captain Rusty Bradley he began his third tour of duty in southern Afghanistan in 2006, the Taliban were poised to reclaim Kandahar Province, their strategically vital onetime capital. To stop them, the NATO coalition launched Operation Medusa, the largest offensive in its history. This is the story of a two-week battle that raged in scorching heat over a territory the size of Rhode Island.--From publisher description.