Finally a good book

Every time I read a really good book, I feel a little disappointed with myself. For not having thought of the idea first and being doubtful of having the discipline and scholarship to pull off that flawless execution.

I've recently read Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism by John K. Cooley, an award-winning journalist. This book traces the history of the people and circumstances that were the catalysts in throwing up a cross-continent cadre of terrorists after the Soviets were driven from Afghanistan. The sheer scope of the endeavour is bewildering.

The book talks about the relationships between the US and it's European, African, Middle-Eastern , ahem, Subcontinental allies, even the Red Chinese, that threw up and nurtured the war launched by the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, which later led to highly trained and motivated killers coming back to their native lands to foster Islamic Revolutions. It worked in Algeria. Egypt's still struggling with the Muslim Brotherhood. Somalia fell recently, thought the Ethiopians managed to take it in spite of opposition from the Eritreans.

This book examines the roles of each of these partner countries, and the causes and effects of this participation in the anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan on them. No one, but no one, anticipated their boys fighting the Soviets to become such a problem.

What impresses me is the author's emphasis on historical detail. He can tell you exactly what happened during the Algerian revolution and after. With good reason. He was there. Even examining the historical relationship of the Chinese with the Muslim world, he traces the unease of the Chinese with Muslim resurgence to the 1800s and onwards. In fact, a couple of Muslim provinces in Western China became states in their own right, with support from the Ottoman Emperor. It's another thing that China later managed to retake them.

But what really makes fascinating reading is how the author traces the self-perpetuating nature of the feudal, warring social setup in Afghanistan, all of it fed by drug money, or oil money. In fact the chapter on opium and heroin production and smuggling makes for very interesting reading in the present context, considering the bumper harvest of opium in Afghanistan this year. 160 tonnes! The author talks about the principals in the drug production and smuggling trade, the routes taken by traffickers and the consequences on the quality and price of heroin on the streets of Western Cities.

It is also significant that this book was written in 1998. And the drug trafficking situation has become progressively worse since. Interestingly, the book has Osama Bin Laden on its cover. He was hardly a household name in those days.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know exactly how a situation has arisen where Islamic Terrorism has managed to position and strengthen itself to be of such concern to the world. Try and get the 2002 edition. Perhaps now is the time for a newer edition.

For more information on this book see the Editorial reviews on Amazon.