Originally published by Viking Penguin in 2008.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction. Imperial overreach and nation building -- Pt. I. 9/11 and war -- 1. A man with a mission : the unending conflict in Afghanistan -- 2. "The U.S. will act like a wounded bear" : Pakistan's long search for its soul -- 3. The chief executive's schizophrenia : Pakistan, the United Nations, and the United States before 9/11 -- 4. Attack! : retaliation and invasion -- 5. The search for a settlement : Afghanistan and Pakistan at odds -- Pt. II. The politics of the post-9/11 world -- 6. A nuclear state of mind : India, Pakistan, and the war of permanent instability -- 7. The one-billion-dollar warlords : the war within Afghanistan -- 8. Musharraf's lost moment : political expediency and authoritarian rule -- Pt. III. The failure of nation building -- 9. Afghanistan I : economic reconstruction -- 10. Afghanistan II : rebuilding security -- 11. Double-dealing with Islamic extremism : al Queda and the Taliban in Pakistan -- 12. Taliban resurgent : the Taliban return home -- Pt. IV. Descent into chaos -- 13. Al Queda's bolt-hole : Pakistan's tribal areas -- 14. America shows the way : the disappeared and the rendered -- 15. Drugs and thugs : opium fuels the insurgency -- 16. Who lost Uzbekistan? : tyranny in Central Asia -- 17. The Taliban offensive : battling for control of Afghanistan, 2006-2007 -- 18. The death of an icon: Pakistan struggles to survive -- 19. Conclusion: A fragile future.