[.ca] Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan ... (ISBN 1400030250)

The author missed the most important point:
Even though Mr. Kaplan goes deeper into the recent Afghan history, he missed the most important point. He does not understand the profound meaning of the life of Ahmad Shah Massoud and the impact of this great leader, with great spirituality and a great vision, in the 23 years of Afghan Resistance. But who does? Very few as always when an important event happens in the world. Good book. Not a great book.

Superb Account of a Forgotten War:
The title of Robert Kaplan's Soldiers of God made me pick this book up and buy it and I was not sure exactly what to expect from it. What I did not expect was a magnificent account of the mujahedeens' long battle against the Soviets, a clearer picture of the geography of Afghanistan, its relationship with Pakistan and the dark years of Soviet invasion. Kaplan's description and stories about the Mujaheedeen commanders as well as warlords and pro-Soviet leaders of Afghanistan brings the reader into a tumultuous period of the country's past. His proximity and access to some of them makes me feel like I know something about them that readers of newspapers or articles on Afghanistan don't. His trips into Afghanistan and how he crossed the tough terrain made me marvel. Anecdotes of fellow travellers, photographers, translators, and hosts of the camps where they stopped at pulled me further into this riveting book. Superb work by Kaplan, he shares with us the face of a war that many did not bother to cover.

Interesting, if biased, account of what was up pre 9/11:
As an American living in several parts of the world in which Islam has a strong influence, I have always had a bit of a problem with the mainstream categorization of Islam as a fanatical approach to solving normal human problems. Kaplan, once again, gets beneath the surface of things to discover that all is not what it seems. As he himself freely admits in the new introduction to this edition, he was somewhat biased by his visceral experiences on the front lines in 1980s Afghanistan, in which he shared life and death with the mujahidin. His square placement of blame on the US for its blind reliance on Pakistan to provide intelligence and diplomacy on the war in Afghanistan is probably a bit short-sighted. Nevertheless, if anyone has any curiosity about how Bin Laden and his ilk came to find Afghanistan a safe-have, they should read this book. The updated intro and new last chapter are good additions in light of the prescience which lies beneath the surface of the original prose.

I hope my Senator has read this book:
Kaplan's book should be mandatory reading for every single elected official in the Executive and Legislative branch as well as all of our military leaders. Kaplan's understanding of the forces at play in Afghanistan and Pakistan (which are inextricably linked) is second-to-none. As an Infantry Officer with 6+ months experience in Afghanistan, I can say that reading Kaplan's book gave me great insight into the enemy we are fighting and the relationship that exists between them and their Pakistani neighbors who routinely provide them safe haven outside the reach of the Coalition Forces. Chock-full of insight that few Westerners have ever been exposed to, Kaplan delivers a phenomenal account of the Mujahideen from the inside-out. I highly recommend this book.

Captivating and Informative:
From the opening pages to the closing chapter of Soldiers of God, Robert D. Kaplan paints an intricate and vivid image of his experiences in Afghanistan throughout the 1980's. Soldiers of God intimately describes the details of the author's tumultuous stay in Afghanistan and his close personal relationship with many of the important figures in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation from 1979-1989. The accumulation of Soldiers of God lies in Kaplan's numerous associations with various Islamic warriors, important figures in Afghanistan and journalists he encounters along the way. Various individuals he meets catalyze the linear narrative of the book and serves as a means of advancing the book through his memoirs. "\oHe\c had met Palestinian leaders in Syria and Jordan, Polisario leaders in Algeria, Kurdish guerrillas in Iraq and Iran, and Eritrean and Tigrean guerrillas in northern Ethiopia," demonstrates the extent to which Kaplan met and befriended an insurmountable array of people and learned about Afghanistan (pg. 47). Through Kaplan's associations the reader gains an in-depth look at Afghanistan through the people Kaplan consorts with. By relating his stories through information about the Punjabi, Abdul Haq, Ahmed Shah Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Savik Shuster, Haja Baba and Gucci Muj the audience gains a complete understanding of the existing turmoil in Afghanistan and further insight into various aspects like religion and women. Through Abdul Haq, for example, the reader learns of the intestinal fortitude existing in Islamic warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan through Haq's courageous dealing of his amputated foot. Also, the reader learns of the increasing impertinence of Abdul Haq towards the United States. For example, "Haq was convinced the US was trying to kill him," because they forced him to wait in the London airport for hours in excruciating pain due to Washington regulations, which stipulated that he must board only an American carrier (pg. 71). In addition, through Abdul Haq we learn that "Woman are as private to a Pathan as his private parts," depicting the extent to which women are secluded from society (pg. 50). An example concerning the importance of religion relates to Savik Shuster, a Lithuanian Jew and a former Soviet citizen. Shuster aggravates Haq when he claims to be agnostic causing Haq to exclaims, "Now you sound like a Soviet" (pg. 65). The above elements of US carelessness, women and religion signify the importance of Soldiers of God in relation to the growing interest in Afghanistan today. Kaplan's book conveys the significant details of the many facets and faces of Afghanistan life, which remain of vast interests since the events following September 11, 2001. Robert D. Kaplan explanation for the purpose of Soldiers of God arises from his meticulous and realistic portrayal of the events he witnesses starting his prologue and finalizing through his later chapters, placing his reader in close proximity to understanding the book. Kaplan immediately captures his/her reader in the prologue entitled, "Walking Through a Minefield" and further enhances intrigue in the chapter entitled, "Going Up Khyber." By using pop culture and mostly Western references to Star Wars, Michael Jackson and Coca-Cola Kaplan allows his readers a more closer association with the book rather than isolating his audience to mainly factual and bland information. By relating his experiences through interwoven associations with various individuals Kaplan captures the essence of an Afghanistan, deeming Soldiers of God an essential book in understanding the richly historic country. Zhaklin Ovsepyan