Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx, And Mujahid (Nations of the Contemporary Middle East) [Hardcover]

Ralph H Magnus (Author), Eden Naby (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nations of the Contemporary Middle East | Publication Date: December 4, 1997

As a result of the Soviet invasion in December 1989, Afghanistan - a centre for great-power rivalry a century earlier - once more has become an arena for the struggle for domination both among the powers of the region and among the superpowers. Despite the expectations of many that Afghanistan would soon disappear into the Soviet colonial empire after the invasion, the Afghan people have continued to fight against Soviet domination. This introductory volume on Afghanistan details the factors inherent in the country's physical situation, human environment and modern history that have led to its contemporary tragedy. Out of this tragedy, out of their national and religious resistance, the country seems to be forging a new definition of nationhood from the mosaic of peoples within its borders. The current conflict has highlighted major strengths of Afghanistan's national experience (the importance of independence and freedom, a respect for tradition coupled with a desire for progress, and above all a deep faith in God) and major weaknesses, caused by personal rivalries and group conflicts. After assessing the extent to which these strengths and weaknesses affect Afghanistan's economic, political and cultural reality, the book concludes by considering various possible scenarios for the country's future.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this skimpy work, Magnus (Naval Postgraduate Sch.), a former assistant cultural attache in Kabul, and Naby, a Middle Eastern scholar who has taught at Harvard and Columbia universities, spend some introductory chapters on Afghan history and politics before honing in on "Mullah, Marx, and Mujahid." Although they try to keep the three concepts distinct, the considerable overlap results in much repetition of ideas, and such a thematic arrangement makes the historical chronology troublesome to follow?all the more disappointing because between them, the authors have many years' experience in Afghanistan. Only the last 20 pages deal with the Taliban and the dramatic events in Afghanistan since 1992. Libraries should save their aquisitions funds for future works on Afghanistan.?Donald Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Magnus and Naby have prepared a superb introduction to the often murky and misunderstood position of Afghanistan both inside and outside Asia. In addition to outlining the tumultuous history of the country and its people, the authors also provide information detailing the unique geographical, social, political, cultural, religious, and economic circumstances that have contributed to the evolution and development of contemporary Afghanistan. During the course of the twentieth century, Afghanistan has idly progressed from a colonial prize to a politically volatile Third World player. Although the successful campaign mounted by the Mujahid (Holy Warriors) to overthrow the prevailing Communist regime and oust the occupying Red Army signaled the decline of Soviet power in the region, post^-cold war Afghanistan remains plagued by both inner turmoil and outside interference. A trenchant and insightful analysis of the internal and external forces that continue to influence the destiny of Afghanistan and the entire Middle East. Margaret Flanagan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (December 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865315132
• ISBN-13: 978-0865315136
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,523,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A required read for news editors, journalists, and Americans, December 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx, And Mujahid (Nations of the Contemporary Middle East) (Hardcover)

A relatively quick and easy read, Ralph Magnus and Eden Naby have authored a special book on Afghanistan. It belongs in any good collection of books on the subject, and is a 'must' for libraries and newsrooms.

The foreward by Dan Rather lends a certain bittersweet charm for those who remember his nighttime mountaintop reports during the days of the Afghans' war with the Soviets. It was a war worth reporting then, apparently.

Understanding Afghanistan's physical geography, geographic zones, and ethnic groups is always a good starting point-if you can slug it through- and the authors keep it interesting. A revised edition might straighten out some minor confusion where zones 7 and 8 are elaborated upon. Furthermore, readers should also understand that the Pashtun tribes' tracing of their roots to the 'ten lost tribes of Israel' is generally considered myth. The revised version should seek to truthfully elucidate. After the slightly bumpy start, the book straightens itself out.

Approximately 30 pages of Afghan History (to 1973) follows next. The authors have crafted an excellent digest, particulary with the past 200 years of Afghanistan's history. The period from the turn of the century until 1973 is explored in relatively more depth and is skillfully reviewed. News editors should particularly pay attention, as often Afghanistan's current dilemmas overshadow the studied progress Afghans made as a nation from the turn of the century.

Traditional Afghan Islam, and the emergence of Islamic organizations is explained clearly.

The origins of Marxism in Afghanistan is masterfully exposed for the reader, and there are small surprises even for those who know their Afghan or Soviet history. When might you think Marxism took root in this remote nation?

That Afghan communists thought they could govern Afghanistan is a fantasy only a Cub's fan could relate to. The Soviet intervention has to be one of the most tragic events of this century. It unleashed the Afghan fighting spirit, cloaked in Islam. The implications for the entire region are important to understand, and this is where the book finally leads us - to today.

The authors' inclusion of a 40 page chronology of Afghan and regional events of the past 250 years in an appendix is a masterful touch.

The Afghan people have lived through a tragic twenty years. Up to two million Afghans have died since 1979 - this in a nation of 15 million. Another 3 million survive as refugees in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Virtually every educated Afghan lives in diaspora - an exile forced upon them by the dynamics of a cold war they did not create, and that now leaves them heartbroken for a nation they have loved.

The imperative for peace and non-interference grows stronger every day but the present eclipses the past, and a new and extremely bold Afghanistan looms on the horizon, virtually unrecognizable except for her mountain peaks which stand silent and magnificent throughout the millenia.

Read the book and you'll understand what happend on December 25th, 1979, the date the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Perhaps nothing will explain the US abandonment of the valiant Afghans the day after the last Soviet grunt went back home bearing the news that the cold war had ended - and they had lost. Surely Purple Heart medals are in order for those Afghans? Surely their children deserve more than handfuls of donated grain?

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start for understanding Afghanistan, March 2, 2002

By 

P. J Lambert "pjlambert" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx, And Mujahid (Nations of the Contemporary Middle East) (Hardcover)

Prof Magnus, a former thesis advisor of mine, coauthored this interesting tome on how Afhghanistan has come to be such a troubled region. An excellent overview of the geography, religions, linguistic differences, and political development is discussed, which adds considerable understanding to the present situation, and likewise provides insight on how any post-Taleban regime will cope based on these differences. The historical timeline provided throughout the book, to include a concise timeline in the appendix is invaluable standing by itself. I did think the book disjointed in places and somewhat difficult to follow, despite my knowledge of the area.
Magnus had a long career actually working in Afghanistan, and likewise followed this country's political environment after the Soviet invasion: His contacts (as noted in the numerous interviews utilized as sources throughout the book) provide an unusually close to home point of view on a number of issues.
While written prior to the horrific events of 11 Sep 01, Prof Magnus sagely predicted the role Zahir Shah would play in reconstituting any new government in a post-Taleban Afghanistan. Undoubtedly this book will play a key role in the understanding of the tumultuous politics which plagues this multi-ethnic and multi-confessional region.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Currently Relevant History, October 1, 2001

By 

Jennifer Hsu (UChicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afghanistan : Mullah, Marx and Mujahid (Nations of the Modern World. Middle East) (Paperback)

Dan Rather, when he wrote the forward to this book said that "The trouble with trying to tell the story of Afghanistan, now as ever, is that it is so difficult to get the story straight and to get it out." Dr. Naby, with her co-author the late Prof. Magnus, provide the most readable form of the recent history of Afghanistan concentrating especially on the last twenty-years. We learn why it was prudent, in light of the Cold War, to aid the mujahidin, and why it was imprudent to abandon them to the machinations of their fanatical manipulators - the renegade Arabs organized by Osama Bin Laden. The chronolgy alone is worth the price. Buy the paperback edition with an epilogue that sets the story of feminists and Afghanistan in the context of American foreign policy formation.