Essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the problems of Afghanistan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
essential reading to understand Afghanistan,
This review is from: Afghanistan: A History of Conflict (Paperback)
this is a balanced, warts-and-all analysis of how Afghanistan got into the condition it's been in since the Soviet invasion of 1979. Written by a British journalist who's been traveling to the area for fifty years, the book makes it clear that there are no simple causes and no easy solutions, maybe no solutions at all.Griffifths' conclusions are sure to anger many Americans. He originally wrote the book in 1981 when the Soviet invasion seemed like it would succeed, and he revised and extended it in the weeks after 9/11. Griffifths has basically seen all this before. His descriptions of failed policies and programs from the 1950s onwards are eerily familiar in light of current events. Another reviewer was irritated by the last two chapters, which indeed suggest that the US should have spent more time negotiating with the Taliban for bin Laden's surrender instead of immediately sending in the military. But Griffifths very clearly explains why, in Afghan culture, Mullah Omar was compelled to support al Qaeda, even though the Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11 and were not ideologically compatible with their more infamous brethren. And he also explains why our quick military response to the 1998 embassy bombings is the main reason why the Taliban refused to cooperate in delivering bin Laden after 9/11. The picture Griffifths paints (and remember, he painted most of this picture two decades before the 9/11 attacks) is of a "country" that has always been and will always be fiercely independent and resistant to foreign domination. It's a loose group of tribes as likely to battle each other as they are to work together to drive out the foreign devils. It's a people who have their own way of life and have never made any lasting changes to that lifestyle, only temporary liberalizations for the sake of expediency. It's not a country that we can help to emerge into the 21st century. Not good news for Americans, but essential reading if you want to understand the people we send our troops to fight and our dollars to assist.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good historical insight; less useful on current events,
By
This review is from: Afghanistan: Land of Conflict and Beauty (Paperback)
I have extensively studied Afghanistan, and lived there for a time, but still found some valuable insights in this book. It is a good general history for those unfamiliar with Afghanistan, and accurately describes the country, people, and culture. It covers the period since the founding of the monarchy in 1747, through the Anglo-Afghan Wars, the Soviet invasion, and up to the current decade.One useful insight is the description of developments in Afghanistan from the early 20th Century through the 1970s. The author's stated motive is "to try and dispel the common belief that Afghanistan was irredeemably backward and locked into the Middle Ages" prior to the Soviet invasion. The chapter entitled "Experiments in Democracy" gives an interesting perspective on governance during the monarchy of the 1950s and 1960s. The book also gives a clear description of the coups of the 1970s, and of the various political factions and their origins. While the book generally appears to be very well researched, it is not without flaws. One bizarre footnote, about US funding for the mujahedin, describes Democratic Congressman Charlie Wilson as a "right-winger" who "gave $450 million" (Wilson pushed for US Government funding, but was not personally a wealthy man), and inexplicably describes career CIA operative Gust Avrakotos as a "Greek tycoon". The author is at his best when giving his personal perspectives from his travels in Afghanistan, and in explaining the details of developments in the country's recent past. His views of current events are less useful. His prescription for governance in Afghanistan entirely ignores the Constitution that the Afghans wrote in 2004. His attempt to draw meaningless parallels between the current situation and the Soviet invasion leads to some rather muddled conclusions. I would recommend this book as a good general description of the country, its people, and its history. It is not useful as a guide for future actions, nor as a predictor of future events.
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A history of conflict in Afghanistan.,
By
This review is from: Afghanistan: A History of Conflict (Paperback)
For much of this book, I learned much about the history of Afghanistan and the people who make up this troubled country. Up till the last chapter, it was a really interesting read. Then Griffiths starts talking about his viewpoint on the Taliban and why the West should negotiate with the Taliban government. Griffiths states that America is out for revenge following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and has picked on Afghanistan. I don't know much about Griffiths' politics, but I do know he didn't know anyone who died on September 11, 2001. Much of what the world knows about the Taliban after they lost control of the country show them to be a narrow minded religious party out to remake the modern world and turn the clock back. And Griffiths thinks we should negotiate with them.For those who want to read this interesting book, rip out Chapters 14 and 15. They don't make much sense, so why read those chapters.
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