When More is Less

Reviews / Votes

A brilliant expose of the failure of international efforts to construct a stable post-Taliban order in Afghanistan. Suhrke's analysis is to the point and very balanced, and her conclusions are very instructive. She tells us very convincingly where and why the international involvement has gone wrong and what would be an appropriate strategy for the international community to adopt. Her book deserves to be read as widely as possible. -- Amin Saikal, Australian National University When More is Less is a timely, lively, and dispassionate investigation into the causes and consequences of the disappointing modern history of peacebuilding in Afghanistan. As someone who has been involved with Afghanistan for over two decades and has studied various United Nations interventions in places like Kosovo and Rwanda, Astri Suhrke is well positioned to use her tremendous knowledge to sort through these critical issues--and suggest not only how things might have been different in Afghanistan, but also how things can be different the next time the international community undertakes a peacebuilding project. -- Michael Barnett, George Washington University The failure of the international coalition in Afghanistan is a major event. Suhrke's book is a first, solid step towards understanding the internal contradiction between the liberal project of the 'international community' and the rationale of the United States military on the ground. -- Gilles Dorronsoro, visiting scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace A trenchant and persuasive account of the evolution of Western peacebuilding and state-building in Afghanistan since 2001 and the dynamic of deepening engagement in the face of disappointing results. Essential reading for scholars, foreign and defense policy practitioners, and the informed public. -- S. N. MacFarlane, Oxford University When More is Less contains the pithiest description I know of where Afghanistan will be in 2014. Suhrke dissects, with an unblinking eye, how we got here, thanks to the stifling 'military embrace' of Operation Afghanistan. -- Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent Kabul-based think tank When More Is Less is a work of erudite scholarship and a must-read for policy makers and students of Afghanistan. Astri Suhrke effectively highlights the tensions and fundamental contradictions inherent in the competing objectives of waging war and building peace, particularly because the short-term tactical needs of the former consistently trump and undermine the long-term processes needed to achieve the latter. Her refreshing thinking and analysis convincingly makes the case that the structural contradictions and tensions inherent in the 'international project' in Afghanistan meant that 'the systemic bias towards deeper and broader involvement,' whether in the form of surging troops and civilian advisers or more aid dollars, exacerbated these tensions -- and that less would have indeed been more. -- Andrew Wilder, director, Afghanistan and Pakistan Programs, United States Institute of Peace A very well written book, covering a remarkable range of ground, and offering a compelling analysis. When More Is Less is the best overview of what has happened and is happening in Afghanistan that I have read. I am recommending it to everyone in sight. -- Rodric Braithwaite, author of Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-1989 A strongly recommended addition to the international issues debate. Midwest Book Review 4/2012 Highly recommended. Choice 9/1/12