Customer Reviews

Beyond the Khyber Pass: The Road to British Disaster in the First Afghan War

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A nice little history of the First Afghan War of 1839-1842. As the British East India Company started to worry about Russian incursions into Central Asia, the British became involved in the politics of Sind, the Punjab, and Afghanistan. Thus started the Great Game between Russian and British interests in Central Asia. The First Afghan War was the result of this competition. The British decided to foist a deposed Afgan Shah onto the country and depose Shah Mohammed Dost. The first third of the book details the lead up to the war and the politics. The second third details the British occupation of Afghanistan and last third detail the death of the Kabul occupation army as it retreats through the Khyber. Only one man returned from this occupation army.
This is a good read, and something to remember with our current situation in Afghanistan. The British were trying to install a pro-British government in Kabul during this war. It is a wonder how history repeats itself.

This book is well researched, and about an interesting period of Central asian histoy. If you don't care about Afghan history, though, it probably won't be the book for you.

It's a factual account, and the author seems to stay very true to history, it could probably use a little literary spice, but that isn't the real purpose in the writing or reading of these types of things.

My main critique is that the author, even though he's living in the twenty first century, seems to wish that he were living in nine-teenth century as a british explorer. He is as trapped in the dreams that led to the great game as the players were themselves. While it lends to us understanding a little bit more the driving force behind the whole business, it feels kind of like your reading a book by Churchill, except that it's a century too late and its not first hand. What you are left with is a book where the author wishes he had been a british explorer, but couldn't be, but that is still trapped by the British view of "other" that we should have left behind long ago.

He tries to make a go of it, and talk about things from the native side, but isn't nearly as capable as getting into their heads emotionally. It is also from a British india point of view and doesn't give a very good explanation of Afghan motivations.

It's still pretty good, it just didn't have quite what I was looking for because of the point of view the author chose for its historical perspective.