Even more than a decade after the attacks on September 11, a profound murkiness surrounds the Taliban and the Islamist militancy that straddles the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The crossroads of the world remains one of its core trouble spots, and for reasons few Americans clarly understand. Talibanistan can only be seen by looking at it from every direction. In this book, a group of experts do exactly that. Edited by Middle East expert, CNN security analyst, and bestselling author Peter Bergen, these essays examine in detail the embattle dterritory from Kandahar in Afghanistan to Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. They pull apart the distinctions between the Taliban and al Qaeda - and the fractures within each movement; assess the effectiveness of American and Pakistani counterinsurgency campaigns; and explores the pipeline of militants into and out of the war zone. The essays provide profound new insight into this troubled region, and should be required for anyone seeking a fresh understanding of a central strategic challenge facing the United States and its allies today.

Includes maps of: [Kandahar Region]; [North Waziristan]; [South Waziristan]; [Tribal Regions]; [Northwest Frontier Province]; [Bajaur].

The Taliban in Kandahar / Anand Gopal -- The relationship between al-Qaeda and the Taliban / Anne Stenersen -- The Taliban in Zabul and Uruzgan / Martine van Bijlert -- The Taliban in North Waziristan / Anand Gopal, Mansur Khan Mahsud, and Brian Fishman -- The Taliban in South Waziristan / Mansur Khan Mahsud -- Pakistan's counterinsurgency strategy / Sameer Lalwani -- CIA drone strikes and the Taliban / Peter Bergen and Jennifer Rowland -- The drone war: view from the ground / Pir Zubair Shah -- Public opinion in Pakistan's tribal regions / Ken Ballen, Peter Bergen, and Patrick Doherty -- The political landscape of the Taliban insurgency in Pakistan / Hassan Abbas -- The Taliban in Swat / Daud Khan Khattak -- The Taliban in Bajaur / Rahmanullah -- The Taliban in Pakistan: an overview / Brian Fishman -- The 80 percent solution: the strategic defeat of bin Laden's al-Qaeda and implications for South Asian security / Thomas F. Lynch III -- Negotiations with the Taliban / Thomas Ruttig.