Taliban Narratives

'Taliban Narratives is a much needed and detailed look at how the Taliban has consistently outperformed the US and NATO in getting across its message. We and our Afghan partners could do much better if we use this guidance. Valuable lessons for the future as well.' -- Ronald Neumann, US Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2005-07 'Important . . . this book has true utility . . . it has no rival in the body of research on the conflict.' 'A very timely investigation.' 'A powerful corrective to casual Western assumptions of military superiority . . . Johnson's research is exhaustive.' 'Thomas H. Johnson's book is important and significantly advances academic understanding on the Taliban. The painstaking translation of a range of Taliban communique including poems, stories, diktats, in a sense, becomes a treasure trove for researchers . . . a refreshing effort.' 'Explains how and why the Taliban's clever use of propaganda has enabled the insurgency to flourish.' 'Fascinating.' 'Deeply original and utterly authoritative: a captivating study of a vital subject.' -- Richard English, author of 'Does Terrorism Work? A History' 'Thomas Johnson has spent much of the past two decades thinking about how narratives and messaging are used in the Afghan conflict. Taliban Narratives examines both the insurgency's development of a strong story as well as the weakness of international efforts to do the same. This empathetic reading of Afghan voices should be mandatory reading for international military forces working in Afghanistan.' -- Alex Strick van Linschoten, co-editor of 'The Taliban Reader' 'Thomas Johnson smelled trouble in Afghanistan years before scepticism became fashionable among lesser experts. He raised the alarm from the inception of the war, warning that the world's most powerful military forces were blundering into the country with little understanding of the local context. This excellent book chronicles his painstaking efforts to understand the war from an Afghan perspective, making a rigorous inquiry into the motivation of the insurgents. His book will find a well-deserved place on the bookshelves of any soldier, diplomat, or other student of South Asia.' -- Graeme Smith, author of 'The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War In Afghanistan' 'This is a very useful contribution to the analysis and studying of the Taliban and also Hizb-i Islami, in particular propaganda and how the Taliban have been portraying themselves. This rich analysis is based on material gathered in the field over the years.' -- Antonio Giustozzi, author of 'The Army of Afghanistan: A Political History of a Fragile Institution' 'Taliban Narratives provides a fascinating look into the propaganda war between the Taliban and the United States in Afghanistan. Packed with primary sources in translation, it deepens our understanding of the Taliban, of information operations, and ultimately of why the war has lasted so long.' -- Thomas Hegghammer. editor of 'Jihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists' 'In this meticulous assessment of primary sources, gathered over numerous years of research in Afghanistan, Thomas H. Johnson eludicates how the Taliban outflanked America and her Afghan allies in Kabul to win the war of ideas. This book deserves wide and considered attention.' -- C. Christine Fair, Provost's Distinguished Associate Professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and author of 'Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War' 'Johnson cuts through the mythology and misinformation about the enemy in America's longest war. A superb book by one of our foremost experts on Afghanistan.' -- Michael Weiss, CNN National Security Analyst, and co-author of 'ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror' 'This book is not only extremely informative about an important topic, but its thesis is challenging and... substantially correct.'