Talibanland - Paradise Under the Shadow of Sabers in Afghanistan

This book analyses the Taliban’s rise to power and its rule in Afghanistan from various perspectives. Analyzing the ideology and evolution of the radical movement, sociocultural aspects of Afghanistan in relation to the group’s rise to power as well as personal interviews with Taliban leaders, Asatryan sketches out a multifaceted picture of the domestic scene for further analysis of the regime’s role in international security and affairs. In so doing the author examines Afghanistan’s political state from different geopolitical positions and discusses the international relations and policy strategies employed by major world powers and regional actors in relation to Taliban rule. The research is interdisciplinary. The book is a social study of Afghan societies and the Taliban. On the other hand, the monograph presents an analysis of the evolution of the political strategies of various powers regarding Afghanistan.

Georgi Asatryan, Ph.D., social scientist and a research fellow at HSE University (Moscow). His interdisciplinary research lies at the intersection of social, political sciences, and international relations. Asatryan worked as an associate professor at Moscow State University (Russia) and a research fellow at the Russian Academy of Science (Russia). He is a member of the International Study Association (USA), American Political Science Association (USA), the International Political Science Association (Canada), and an expert with the Russian International Affairs Council (Russia).

Dr. Asatryan is the author of more than sixty academic papers. His articles, book reviews, notes, and essays were published in such journals, as International Affairs, International Studies Review, Sociology, Russia in Global Affairs, Europe-Asia Studies, Asian Studies Review, Contemporary South Asia, Iran and the Caucasus, Strategic Analysis, Intelligence and National Security, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Review of Political Economy, Ethnic and Racial Studies, The RUSI Journal, Rethinking History and others. Dr. Asatryan did private consulting on economic and political risks in Central Asia and the Caucasus and advised international businesses.