Presented by "Global Forces in the Post Cold-War" Lecture Series Sunday, February 9 / 3:00 P.M. / $6 UCSB students & $8 general admission UCSB Campbell Hall Tickets available through the UCSB Arts & Lectures Ticket Office (805) 893-3535 Pakistan-based journalist Ahmed Rashid, recognized as one of the leading authorities on Central Asia, has appeared on numerous radio and TV news shows since 9/11, and is the author of the best-selling book Taliban. Rashid will present the lecture Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia, based on his most recent book of the same name, on Sunday, February 9 at 3 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. Rashid’s lecture will explain the roots of fundamentalist rage in Central Asia, describe the goals and activities of its militant organizations and suggest methods to neutralize the threat and bring stability to the troubled region. Ahmed Rashid’s book Jihad makes clear Central Asia’s need for diplomatic and economic intervention. Rashid argues that without reform the region, although sitting atop vast stores of natural gas and oil, will face a future of continued poverty, religious conflict and human misery. The Christian Science Monitor claims, “In an age when people are groping for quick explanations and easy solutions, Jihad presents something more valuable: tools for understanding a problem of real complexity and incredible urgency.” Rashid’s previous work Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (Yale University Press) was the first book published by a university press to reach the top spot on The New York Times Bestseller List and has been translated into 22 languages. The book draws on Rashid’s years of unparalleled access to Afghanistan and its rulers, and has led him to become a trusted source of intelligence about Central Asia for international leaders such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Rashid has donated a quarter of his royalties from Taliban to create Open Media for Afghanistan, an organization that gives grants to emerging Afghan print media, helps restock libraries, trains journalists and promotes a free press. In an interview Rashid explained why he began this organization: “I’m very conscious of the fact that journalistically I’ve made a living off Afghanistan for the last twenty years. This is my way to give something back.” Currently a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, The Far Eastern Economic Review and The Daily Telegraph, Rashid has also published in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Foreign Affairs and many other publications. In April 2002 Britain’s Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards named him “The Media Personality of the Year” and in 2001 the Human Rights Society of Pakistan awarded him the Nisar Osmani “Award for Courage in Journalism.” Educated at Government College Lahore and Cambridge University, Ahmed Rashid lives in Lahore, Pakistan with his wife and two children. Courtesy of the UCSB Bookstore, books by Ahmed Rashid will be available for purchase and signing at the event. This lecture is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the UCSB Center for Middle East Studies, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, and Global and International Studies as part of the Global Peace, Security and Human Rights Global Forces in the Post-Cold War Lecture Series. Additional support is provided by Santa Barbara Committee on Foreign Relations, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, PAX 2100, International Students Association at SB City College, and the International Studies Program at Ventura College. The event is sponsored by KEYT 1250 AM. <<Back Top of Page