Fernando Gentilini, an Italian diplomat who is currently
director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, and Turkey for the European
External Action Service, has just published a new book titled “Afghan
Lessons: Culture, Diplomacy, and Counterinsurgency” (Brookings, 2013)
The book was originally published in Italian
("Libero a Kabul", Editori Internazionali Riuniti, 2011) and has been
translated by Angela Arnone.
Here is a short description by the publisher:
“For nearly two years, Fernando Gentilini lived in
war-torn Afghanistan as a civilian envoy. From July 2008 to February 2010,
Gentilini, a diplomat with twenty years of experience in crisis management and
multilateral and European affairs, was the civilian representative of NATO,
running a counterinsurgency campaign in the troubled nation. Afghan Lessons
presents the fascinating story of Gentilini’s mission, taking readers on an
eye-opening journey of Afghanistan: its people, its society, and its politics.
Gentilini’s firsthand account looks at the nation through a kaleidoscope. He
explores Afghan history, literature, and tradition, while also reflecting on the
international mission in Afghanistan from both a diplomatic and military
standpoint. In Afghan Lessons, Gentilini examines Afghan culture in an
effort to understand some of the most basic questions of Western involvement:
Why are we there? What does an international presence mean, and how can it
help?.”
Fernando Gentilini, Afghan Lessons: Culture,
Diplomacy, and Counterinsurgency, Brookings Institution Press, 2013,
pp. 320, $28.95
Afghan Lessons is available in
the main online bookshops both hardcover and eBook formats (e.g. Amazon ,
Barnes & Noble)
For more information on the book and for the table of
contents: http://www.brookings.edu/ research/books/2013/afghan- lessons
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For additional information on books published by Italian
Diplomats consult: http://baldi.diplomacy.edu/ diplo