Most Helpful Customer Reviews
151 of 154 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book, July 10, 2009
I have served in Afghanistan several times, so was interested in an examination of U.S. efforts there. I was pleasantly surprised. "In the Graveyard of Empires" is the best book I've read on the current situation in Afghanistan. Period. I was particularly impressed by two issues.
The first was the careful, balanced, and detailed look at the rise of the insurgency. Jones's book is not political, but rather thoroughly researched with well over a thousand footnotes -- many of them primary sources (including his own interviews). I suspect there are few, if any, Americans who have the detailed, on-the-ground knowledge of the country that Jones has. The second was the historical nature of the book. Jones looks briefly at the Alexander the Great era, but has some great chapters up front that cite declassified U.S., KGB, and other intelligence assessments. Really solid work.
In sum, I would strongly recommend this book to any one -- Republican, Democrat, independent, or other -- that has an interest in Afghanistan. This is the best there is on the market.
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58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book on Afghanistan, September 4, 2009
I have worked for a range of non-governmental organizations in South Asia for nearly three decades, including in Afghanistan several times during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. I have also read most of the good books on Afghanistan -- such as Ahmed Rashid's "Taliban" and "Descent into Chaos," Steve Coll's "Ghost Wars," Louis Dupree's phenomenal "Afghanistan," and the work of many others like Thomas Barfield, Antonio Giustozzi, and Abdulkader Sinno. So I consider myself fairly well-versed on the ground truths and academic/policy research.
In that vein, this book is fantastic. It is solid in its accuracy and careful, balanced research. And it exposes a range of challenges faced in Afghanistan and the mistakes (and successes) made by the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan governments.
In sum, there is no better book on Afghanistan today -- and how we got here. In addition, the short discussion on Afghanistan in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s is just enough to bring people up to speed on lessons from Afghanistan's recent history.
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59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good general review of OEF 2001-2008, June 23, 2009
As a military professional with more than a general understanding of Afghanistan and the current operating environment, this was a "must purchase" for me. While the book did not provide me with any NEW insights into the operating environment, it did not disappoint as a very clearly written and detailed overview of US operations from 2001-2008. This will become a must read for members of my staff trying to develop an understanding of the problem-set in Afghanistan.
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