The Uruzgan Expedition

2009-09-02

TARINKOT - How does a man with only a motorbike, a satellite phone and a small group of confidants become President of Afghanistan? In Expedition Uruzgan, Bette Dam reveals how Hamid Karzai liberated the province of Uruzgan from the Taliban after 11 September 2001. This was a crucial moment in Afghan history.

In writing this book, Dam interviewed dozens of eyewitnesses, including Karzai's tribesmen, other Afghans, the American commandos who helped Karzai come to power, Taliban members who ultimately 'lost', and diplomats and Afghanistan experts. She also spoke at length with President Karzai himself about his role in the tumultuous months following 11th September, and his belief that the battle for the new Afghanistan would be fought in Uruzgan

Dam concludes that Karzai would not have stood a chance without American support, but that tribal and family ties were crucial to his political future. The conflicts arising from this dynamic still dominated the Dutch agenda in Uruzgan.

Dick Scherpenzeel Prize Jury

"The journalist provides a unique and relealing account of the power struggle between all factions in Afghanistan."

Team members

Bette Dam

Bette Dam is a Dutch journalist. She lived in Afghanistan for four years, where she worked as a correspondent. She is currently finishing a PHD looking to address and change the narratives of contemporary war journalism.

Supported

€3,630 allocated on 03/03/2008

FPD/2008/627

Grant

Pascal Decroos Fund

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