The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan after the Taliban by Sarah Chayes

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Synopsis

A National Public Radio reporter covering the last stand of the Taliban in their home base of Kandahar in Afghanistan's southern borderland, Sarah Chayes became deeply immersed in the unfolding drama of the attempt to rebuild a broken nation at the crossroads of the world's destiny. Her NPR tour up in early 2002, she left reporting to help turn the country's fortunes, accepting a job running a nonprofit founded by President Hamid Karzai's brother. With remarkable access to leading players in the postwar government, Chayes witnessed a tragic story unfold-the perverse turn of events whereby the U.S. government and armed forces allowed and abetted the return to power of corrupt militia commanders to the country, as well as the reinfiltration of bands of Taliban forces supported by U.S. ally Pakistan. In this gripping and dramatic account of her four years on the ground, working with Afghanis in the battle to restore their country to order and establish democracy, Chayes opens Americans' e

New York Times Book Review

Engrossing ... In elegant prose, [Chayes] brings to life the region's rich history, complex politics and proud ethnic Pashtun tribesmen.

Biography

After completing her assignment in Afghanistan for NPR in 2002, Sarah Chayes took a position running a nongovernmental aid organization, Afghans for Civil Society, founded by the family of Afghan president Hamid Karzai.