Introduction. Imperial overreach and nation building
1. A man with a mission : the unending conflict in Afghanistan
2. "The U.S. will act like a wounded bear" : Pakistan's long search for its soul
3. The chief executive's schizophrenia : Pakistan, the United Nations, and the United States before 9/11
4. Attack! : retaliation and invasion
5. The search for a settlement : Afghanistan and Pakistan at odds
Pt. II. The politics of the post-9/11 world
6. A nuclear state of mind : India, Pakistan, and the war of permanent instability
7. The one-billion-dollar warlords : the war within Afghanistan
8. Musharraf's lost moment : political expediency and authoritarian rule
Pt. III. The failure of nation building
9. Afghanistan I : economic reconstruction
10. Afghanistan II : rebuilding security
11. Double-dealing with Islamic extremism : al Queda and the Taliban in Pakistan
12. Taliban resurgent : the Taliban return home
Pt. IV. Descent into chaos
13. Al Queda's bolt-hole : Pakistan's tribal areas
14. America shows the way : the disappeared and the rendered
15. Drugs and thugs : opium fuels the insurgency
16. Who lost Uzbekistan? : tyranny in Central Asia
17. The Taliban offensive : battling for control of Afghanistan, 2006-2007
18. Conclusion : the death of an icon and a fragile future.
