The Places In Between

In 2002, only months after the Taliban was dispersed throughout Afghanistan, Rory Stewart set out in the footsteps of 15th century emperor Babur to traverse one of the most rugged and conflict-ridden countries in the world. He recounts this epic journey in The Places In Between, a New York Times best-selling book that describes harrowing scrapes with nature while negotiating passage through de facto Taliban-ruled land.

Stewart, a resident of Scotland, has written for the New York Times Magazine and the London Review of Books, and is a former fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is also the author of The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq, detailing his role as provincial governor in Iraq starting in 2003.

Due to his dispassionate, apolitical style, Stewart is uniquely positioned to provide a realistic, in-depth perspective on a region that is in dire need of straight-forward and insightful analysis. New America’s Peter Bergen — also an expert on the region — moderated the discussion.

Video of this event, which focused on both Afghanistan and Iraq, is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below. Or click here for more information on Stewart and his books.

Participants

• Rory Stewart
  Author, The Places In Between and The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq
  

Moderator

• Peter Bergen
  Schwartz Senior Fellow, New America Foundation