This book turns upside down the American perspective on the war - yet another circular firing squad operation from D.C. After the Soviets pulled their troops out in 1989 they didn't wash their hands of the country, rather they continued to support the communist government in Kabul, and the U.S. continued to support the mujahidin to counter the residual communist influence. Both the Soviets and the U.S. stopped their respective support in 1991 and the country was left with a power vacuum - the Soviets had wiped out the traditional structure of local governance run by elders and to fill this vacuum various warlords and wannabees battled for power in a nightmarish civil war: women were grabbed off the streets and raped, no property was safe from theft, and executions swift of anyone thought to oppose a newly-installed war lord. Opposition to this brutal internal battle for power grew, mainly among the Pashtun in the south, the Taliban was born, and by 1996 pretty much prevailed. Although the Taliban enforced strict Sharia law including no music, TV or other satanic pass times, they did mete out justice to protect the civilian population, a sense of security returned after the terror of the civil war. Then we had 9/11, the invasion of Afghanistan and the installation of Karzai in Kabul. The Taliban, that was a loose confederation of local actors, was immediately impressed (terrified) of American air power, had no objection to Karzai (a fellow Pashtun), decided to back the Kabul government and give up their weapons. They had had enough of war, one that was continuing with the Northern Alliance when the U.S. invaded, and wanted to retire to civilian life now that there was a credible central government. Instead, the U.S. targeted all-and-any Taliban, conducted night raids into homes - often killing innocent civilians - and arrested any ex-Taliban member who came in to surrender and shipped him off to Gitmo for years, at times even the wrong person. It did not take too many of these incidents to convince the Afghans that the Americans were an invading force out to destroy their culture and religion. The nascent movement was helped and organized by a Taliban central committee in Pakistan and the Afghans began to rearm - the Americans went from being saviors to an enemy rather quickly. The U.S. offered to make anyone rich by providing information on ex-Taliban and many sprang for this opportunity as it not only provided cash but an "in" with the Americans as an intelligence source, allowing local rivals to be liquidated by the Americans. We ended up with 400 scattered bases in Afghanistan, all of which needed to be supplied by truck and each convoy needed protection. You can guess the rest. Endless amounts of money were poured into local Afghan contractors, a key source of funding for the Taliban. America has spent over $100 billion for "reconstruction" in Afghanistan, a large portion of which simply disappeared; the government in Kabul is one of the most corrupt on the planet. The police force stood up by American advisors is totally corrupt and has fanned out across the country for seemingly one purpose - to extract money at the point of a gun from the locals.
Since Al-Qaida - perhaps 100 strong? - immediately fled to Pakistan at the opening of the U.S. invasion, our troops had to "do something" once in country. The Taliban had been branded as terrorist and were therefor open game for the American military, still there 16 years later banging away. Washington totally misread the political-security situation that had developed in the 1990s and turned a potential ally (the Taliban) into an enemy. Thirty-eight years on from the Soviet invasion the country still finds itself at war, and Washington's take of the situation unchanged.
Have one to sell?
Add to book club
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
OK
No Good Men Among the Living Audio CD – Unabridged, January 27, 2015
by
Anand Gopal
(Author),
Assaf Cohen
(Narrator)
| Anand Gopal (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Audio CD, MP3 Audio, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $27.29 | — |
Enhance your purchase
Told through the lives of three Afghans, the stunning tale of how the United States had triumph in sight in Afghanistan-and then brought the Taliban back from the dead
In a breathtaking chronicle, acclaimed journalist Anand Gopal traces in vivid detail the lives of three Afghans caught in America's war on terror. He follows a Taliban commander, who rises from scrawny teenager to leading insurgent; a US-backed warlord, who uses the American military to gain personal wealth and power; and a village housewife trapped between the two sides, who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality.
Though their dramatic stories, Gopal shows that the Afghan war, so often regarded as a hopeless quagmire, could have gone very differently. Top Taliban leaders actually tried to surrender within months of the US invasion, renouncing all political activity and submitting to the new government. Effectively, the Taliban ceased to exist-yet the Americans were unwilling to accept such a turnaround. Instead, driven by false intelligence from their allies and an unyielding mandate to fight terrorism, American forces continued to press the conflict, resurrecting the insurgency that persists to this day. With its intimate accounts of life in war-torn Afghanistan, Gopal's thoroughly original reporting lays bare the workings of America's longest war and the truth behind its prolonged agony. A heartbreaking story of mistakes and misdeeds, No Good Man Among the Living challenges our usual perceptions of the Afghan conflict, its victims, and its supposed winners.
In a breathtaking chronicle, acclaimed journalist Anand Gopal traces in vivid detail the lives of three Afghans caught in America's war on terror. He follows a Taliban commander, who rises from scrawny teenager to leading insurgent; a US-backed warlord, who uses the American military to gain personal wealth and power; and a village housewife trapped between the two sides, who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality.
Though their dramatic stories, Gopal shows that the Afghan war, so often regarded as a hopeless quagmire, could have gone very differently. Top Taliban leaders actually tried to surrender within months of the US invasion, renouncing all political activity and submitting to the new government. Effectively, the Taliban ceased to exist-yet the Americans were unwilling to accept such a turnaround. Instead, driven by false intelligence from their allies and an unyielding mandate to fight terrorism, American forces continued to press the conflict, resurrecting the insurgency that persists to this day. With its intimate accounts of life in war-torn Afghanistan, Gopal's thoroughly original reporting lays bare the workings of America's longest war and the truth behind its prolonged agony. A heartbreaking story of mistakes and misdeeds, No Good Man Among the Living challenges our usual perceptions of the Afghan conflict, its victims, and its supposed winners.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHighBridge Audio
- Publication dateJanuary 27, 2015
- Dimensions6.4 x 1.1 x 5.3 inches
- ISBN-101622316665
- ISBN-13978-1622316663
Inspire a love of reading with Amazon Book Box for Kids
Discover delightful children's books with Amazon Book Box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months — new Amazon Book Box Prime customers receive 15% off your first box. Learn more.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Assaf Cohen is an Audie Award-nominated and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. His voice can also be heard in video games and dubbed international titles. On camera, he's guest starred and had recurring roles on over fifty TV shows, and appeared in numerous films, including two Academy Award-winning pictures.
Start reading No Good Men Among the Living on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : HighBridge Audio; Unabridged edition (January 27, 2015)
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 1622316665
- ISBN-13 : 978-1622316663
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.1 x 5.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,458,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,921 in Afghan War Military History
- #5,415 in Political Freedom (Books)
- #14,458 in Asian Politics
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
383 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
29 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
This powerful work is by far the best book about the Afghan war that I have ever read. It is in fact probably the best argument for thoroughgoing pacifism that I have ever seen. My attention was called to this book by an Amazon customer who commented on my review of "America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History," where I argued that the author of that book, Andrew Bacevich, was wrong to oppose the Afghan war.
This book focuses on the experiences between 2001 and 2011 of three Afghans: pro-American warlord Jan Muhammad Khan, Taliban mid-level commander Akbar Gul (a pseudonym) and Uruzgan housewife (later nurse and senator) Heela Achekzai. The book's sole weakness is that it doesn't really follow any non-Pashtun Afghans, whose experience of the war I'm sure was significantly different from that of the Pashtuns; but that is not enough to deduct a star. (I was struck by the fact pre-Soviet Afghan leader Daud Khan had argued for "Pashtunistan" to be carved out of Afghanistan and Pakistan, an idea I myself have often thought might provide an acceptable solution to the present war.) At the end of the book Heela is a senator in Kabul, Akbar is a prisoner in Bagram Air Base, and Jan is dead, assassinated most likely by his own nephew Matiullah, who took over his old province of Uruzgan and sent Matiullah's ally Heela to Kabul to represent the province. It was published in 2014, just as the Americans were handing over security in the last Afghan provinces to Afghans and Hamid Karzai was leaving office, so the fates of the two surviving characters may have changed in the past two years.
Heela's narrative is by far the most moving and you might argue the most paradoxical of the three. If the Americans had never come to Afghanistan, Heela's beloved husband Musqinyar would still be alive. If they had left before she was widowed in October 2004, two of her four sons would be dead and she herself would have been absorbed into the family of her brother-in-law Shaysta, never to emerge into the larger world (as indeed she mostly had not in ten years living in backward Uruzgan). Instead, she seized the initiative (and a Kalashnikov) and dragged her family to the nearest American base. They resettled her in Kandahar. When she came back to Uruzgan it was on her own terms and from then until the end of the story, she goes from strength to strength.
Akbar Gul's story, however, is the most telling as to why the war evolved as it did. He actually attempted to become a small entrepreneur in the new society that was springing up in the wake of the Taliban's defeat and live in peace. It was not until 2005 that the unbearably corrupt Afghan police and continuous American-Afghan raids on suspected Taliban drove him back into the fight. These raids were in essence a necessity of the American presence. The problem in Afghanistan was not that there were too few Americans because of our involvement in Iraq; it was that any Americans stayed after bin Laden was driven into Pakistan. More broadly you could even argue that the problem was that the United States did not accept the Taliban's offer to turn over bin Laden for trial in an Islamic country (which would have had to be one of the three with whom they had formal diplomatic relations: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates). Before the Iraq and Afghan Wars, Islamic jurists in these countries (especially Saudi Arabia, for whom bin Laden was a bete noire) probably would have felt enough sympathy for America after 9/11 to convict and execute bin Laden.
Lacking enemies after the Taliban disintegrated in the fall of 2001, the American troops turned to the warlords like Jan Muhammad Khan they had installed as the new ruling elite for "intelligence". These warlords used the American special forces as a club against their ethnic and economic rivals within Afghanistan. Presto, enemies of the United States to justify a gradual American buildup that at its height saw over 100,000 American soldiers in Afghanistan. It is indeed inconceivable that this would not happen in any country where United States troops intervened in the near future, which is why I see this book as an argument for thoroughgoing pacifism.
I attempted to answer the question "Who won the Afghan War?" in an essay for the now-defunct website epinions in 2011. I don't even remember anymore what my argument was. My piece is overawed by the final paragraph of Gopal's superb book, which I will reproduce in full:
"The darkness was coming on, and the mountains around the capital were already burning bright. Heela said it was time for her to go, and as she left, I knew I didn't need to ask her the final question I'd had in mind. The answer was right in front of me. Winning a war such as this was not about planting flags or defending territory or building fancy villas. It was not about titles or promotions or offices. It was not about democracy or jihad, freedom or honor. It was about resisting the categories chosen for you; about stubbornness in the face of grand designs and schemas. About doing what you had to do, whether they called you a terrorist or an infidel. To win a war like this was to master the ephemeral, to plan a future while knowing that it could all be over in an instant. To comfort your children when the air outside throbs in the middle of the night, to squeeze your spouse's hand tight when your taxi hits a pothole on an open highway, to go to school or the fields or a wedding and return to tell about it. To survive."
This book focuses on the experiences between 2001 and 2011 of three Afghans: pro-American warlord Jan Muhammad Khan, Taliban mid-level commander Akbar Gul (a pseudonym) and Uruzgan housewife (later nurse and senator) Heela Achekzai. The book's sole weakness is that it doesn't really follow any non-Pashtun Afghans, whose experience of the war I'm sure was significantly different from that of the Pashtuns; but that is not enough to deduct a star. (I was struck by the fact pre-Soviet Afghan leader Daud Khan had argued for "Pashtunistan" to be carved out of Afghanistan and Pakistan, an idea I myself have often thought might provide an acceptable solution to the present war.) At the end of the book Heela is a senator in Kabul, Akbar is a prisoner in Bagram Air Base, and Jan is dead, assassinated most likely by his own nephew Matiullah, who took over his old province of Uruzgan and sent Matiullah's ally Heela to Kabul to represent the province. It was published in 2014, just as the Americans were handing over security in the last Afghan provinces to Afghans and Hamid Karzai was leaving office, so the fates of the two surviving characters may have changed in the past two years.
Heela's narrative is by far the most moving and you might argue the most paradoxical of the three. If the Americans had never come to Afghanistan, Heela's beloved husband Musqinyar would still be alive. If they had left before she was widowed in October 2004, two of her four sons would be dead and she herself would have been absorbed into the family of her brother-in-law Shaysta, never to emerge into the larger world (as indeed she mostly had not in ten years living in backward Uruzgan). Instead, she seized the initiative (and a Kalashnikov) and dragged her family to the nearest American base. They resettled her in Kandahar. When she came back to Uruzgan it was on her own terms and from then until the end of the story, she goes from strength to strength.
Akbar Gul's story, however, is the most telling as to why the war evolved as it did. He actually attempted to become a small entrepreneur in the new society that was springing up in the wake of the Taliban's defeat and live in peace. It was not until 2005 that the unbearably corrupt Afghan police and continuous American-Afghan raids on suspected Taliban drove him back into the fight. These raids were in essence a necessity of the American presence. The problem in Afghanistan was not that there were too few Americans because of our involvement in Iraq; it was that any Americans stayed after bin Laden was driven into Pakistan. More broadly you could even argue that the problem was that the United States did not accept the Taliban's offer to turn over bin Laden for trial in an Islamic country (which would have had to be one of the three with whom they had formal diplomatic relations: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates). Before the Iraq and Afghan Wars, Islamic jurists in these countries (especially Saudi Arabia, for whom bin Laden was a bete noire) probably would have felt enough sympathy for America after 9/11 to convict and execute bin Laden.
Lacking enemies after the Taliban disintegrated in the fall of 2001, the American troops turned to the warlords like Jan Muhammad Khan they had installed as the new ruling elite for "intelligence". These warlords used the American special forces as a club against their ethnic and economic rivals within Afghanistan. Presto, enemies of the United States to justify a gradual American buildup that at its height saw over 100,000 American soldiers in Afghanistan. It is indeed inconceivable that this would not happen in any country where United States troops intervened in the near future, which is why I see this book as an argument for thoroughgoing pacifism.
I attempted to answer the question "Who won the Afghan War?" in an essay for the now-defunct website epinions in 2011. I don't even remember anymore what my argument was. My piece is overawed by the final paragraph of Gopal's superb book, which I will reproduce in full:
"The darkness was coming on, and the mountains around the capital were already burning bright. Heela said it was time for her to go, and as she left, I knew I didn't need to ask her the final question I'd had in mind. The answer was right in front of me. Winning a war such as this was not about planting flags or defending territory or building fancy villas. It was not about titles or promotions or offices. It was not about democracy or jihad, freedom or honor. It was about resisting the categories chosen for you; about stubbornness in the face of grand designs and schemas. About doing what you had to do, whether they called you a terrorist or an infidel. To win a war like this was to master the ephemeral, to plan a future while knowing that it could all be over in an instant. To comfort your children when the air outside throbs in the middle of the night, to squeeze your spouse's hand tight when your taxi hits a pothole on an open highway, to go to school or the fields or a wedding and return to tell about it. To survive."
23 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a must read! Anyone reading this will quickly see that"winning" in Afghanistan is impossible unless one is willing to take the 'create a desert and call it peace' approach. Corruption is too deeply rooted in the culture, there are too many disparate tribes each with their own customs and interests. There is really no uninted Afghanistan and there likely never will be. The U.S. occupation has only strengthened some warlords and left others desperate enough to fight forever if need be. The U.S. needs to leave Afghanistan and allow the locals to work out a solution for themselves.
15 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
Masterfully written, Shakespearean in emotional scope, this book reads with the beauty and rhythm of fiction, revealing the Kafka-like chaos Afghan citizens must navigate in order to survive. The unimaginable brutality of this war, perpetrated by all sides--the Americans, the warlords and the Taliban--leaves one's head spinning. While the book was published in 2014, it is absolutely relevant today. It's a work of art and as Ahmed Rashid noted, “A brilliant, incisive work of storytelling and analysis. Of all the recent books on Afghanistan, this one stands out like a bright shining light, revealing the truth of the war from the ground up. Breathtaking and magnificent, this is a must read.” Indeed. I wish every high school student and lawmaker could read this history because it has ramifications for us all.
2 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Top reviews from other countries
Grecian
5.0 out of 5 stars
I now know a lot more now.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2021Verified Purchase
Informative. Gave me insight and understanding as to how the West lost Afghanistan. We were clueless. We are told a false narrative that bears little relation to the truth and because that narrative remains largely unchallenged we are destined to blunder in the future.
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
SS
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read on a subject difficult to research
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2021Verified Purchase
Feels like a balanced narrative of th most complex and opaque landscape. The bias from the narrotors being the main subjects is a bit unavoidable and especially felt this from the perspective of Heela.
However it feels like a small detail in what is a great read explaining the realities in Afghanistan. The failures of America is all too clear to see
However it feels like a small detail in what is a great read explaining the realities in Afghanistan. The failures of America is all too clear to see
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
tamer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential to understand the insanity of the GWOT
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2018Verified Purchase
This is a essential text for future historians to analyse the perpetual fraud that is the US insane meddling and subsequent chaos it inevitably causes! Always backing the wrong allies, the laughable naivety and stupidity they never seem to learn from. However it is so refreshing to read about the Afghan point of view and those who have to live with the “mission accomplished” aftermath
4 people found this helpful
Report abuse
STEVEN MCPHEE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2021Verified Purchase
I learnt a lot and gave me a better understanding of the real people of Afghanistan....
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
Arthur Doohan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2018Verified Purchase
Good Quality, Would repeat







