The Rise of a President
Karzai: The Failing American Intervention and the Struggle for Afghanistan by Nick Mills
Click here to watch Nick Mills talk about his experience with Hamid Karzai.
Nick Mills, an award-winning news broadcaster and an associate professor in the Boston University College of Communication department of journalism, discusses his book Karzai: The Failing American Intervention and the Struggle for Afghanistan. The book describes the rise of Hamid Karzai(Hon.’05) to the Afghan presidency and his struggle, amid civilunrest, to build on the country’s modest post-Taliban achievements.Mills, who met with Karzai over several months in 2005, also recountsthe story behind the story.
Mills first met Karzai in the 1980s when Mills was field director of the Afghan Media Project,an initiative to teach Afghan refugees news-gathering techniques todocument the war with the Soviets. Karzai was then spokesman for one ofthe major Afghan factions fighting Soviet occupation. Some 15 yearslater, after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistanin 2001, Karzai became the country’s interim leader. In 2004, he becamethe first-ever democratically elected president. The descendant oftribal leaders and an eloquent speaker, Karzai has since beencriticized for indecisiveness and targeted for assassination byextremists.
When Karzai came to Boston University in May 2005 as the Commencement speaker,Mills approached him with the idea of producing a book together. Laterthat fall, Mills met with the Afghan leader in Kabul for a series ofcandid interviews. Shortly before publication, Karzai pulled out of theproject, uneasy with the dual role of author and sitting president.Mills and his publisher recast the book, and the result is an examinationof Karzai’s life, his path to leadership, and the difficulties faced bywar-torn Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001.
November 13, 2007, 7 p.m.
Barnes and Noble at Boston University
About the speaker: Nick B. Millsis an award-winning news broadcaster and an associate professor ofjournalism at the Boston University College of Communication. He hasextensive experience as a radio news reporter, anchor, and newsdirector. He served in the Peace Corps Columbia Educational TV projectand commanded a U.S. Army combat photo team in Vietnam. He has workedas a media trainer and consultant all over the world and is author of Combat Photographer.
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