Customer Reviews

Empires of Mud: Wars and Warlords in Afghanistan

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is filled to the brim with names and dates that even to the experienced scholar can prove to be overwhelming. It's difficult to read, as it attempts to provide a complex history by showering as many proper nouns as possible onto the reader. For the casual reader wishing to learn more about Afghanistan, a more mainstream work like Ahmed Rashid's Descent into Chaos (or for the Mujahideen period, Steve Coll's Ghost Wars) may be a better choice.
At the same time, Guistozzi has done some really great research and provides a compilation of research that can help those wishing to delve deeper into Afghan history. He brings the useful insight of one who has really explored the spheres of the warlords with an academic eye, and he offers a wealth of new knowledge about their histories. For those wishing to really understand the warlord phenomenon and who have some time to work through this book, its a necessary read.

I disagree with the other reviewers. Giustozzi opens a fascinating dialogue of the role of warlords in the state building process and with it-clearly explains the errors the international community is making in Afghanistan and why after 10 years we still do not understand this complex (but simple at the same time) culture. Warlords are a true reality of Afghan society and they are often times barbaric. Despite this, they have legitimacy, and must be dealt with delicately, which is exactly what President Karzai has done over the past decade. Although the middle of the book is very academically written the first few chapters are so well written that I found interesting points in nearly every sentence. I highly recommend this book for the serious diplomat, soldier, or student of Afghanistan. A basic understanding of Poltiical Science, Intl Relations and state-building in history is likely a prerequisite to get something out of this book. 5 stars for the serious academic.

Giustozzi has written a handful of interesting articles about Afghanistan, but his book is a disappointment throughout: the narrative is scatter-brained, the conceptual framework is insipid, the analysis is uninsightful, and the writing is nearly unintelligible. Far better treatments of Afghanistan (including the history of Afghan warlordism) are available: skip Giustozzi and go for Rubin's "The Fragmentation of Afghanistan" or (better yet) Barfield's "Afghanistan" instead.

This book is difficult to read and provides little insight. The author skips back and forth from information from whole different time periods of the 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's. Since the subject is Afghan warlords, it matters a lot when they were -for example- opposing the government. The sections on General Dostum and Ismail Khan provide a certain amount of information but little analysis or other useful takeaway.