Just Finished Reading: War by Sebastian Junger (FP: 2010) [278pp] 

What is it like to be in combat in a modern war? How do people cope, from all kinds of backgrounds, with the danger and the boredom? What does a year in a war zone do to people and how does it affect them months or even years later? What do frontline soldiers think about the war they’ve volunteered to take part in? These questions, and more both thought about and not, would be answered in the most direct way by the author. The way to find out, possibly the only way to find out, is to be there with them – coping with the same heat, the same cold and the same MRE rations. To be there when the boredom is so bad it becomes dangerous, to be there when the sniper bullets are coming in and everyone knows that RPGs will soon be following. To be there, with the guys, as they run across open ground under fire to help one of their own shouting for help, or to hear them sobbing in their sleep after they see their best friend drop dead beside them from a headshot from who knows where. To be there to ask difficult questions when they’re willing to talk and to laugh along at their bad jokes.   

Over a 15-month deployment in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, the author spent 4 months doing just that. The 2nd Platoon of Battle Company, part of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade were the very tip of the spear and had been deployed on what the author called “sort of the Afghanistan of Afghanistan: too ­remote to conquer, too poor to intimidate, too autonomous to buy off.” Needless to say, it wasn’t the safest place to be for an American soldier or a journalist (and his cameraman) who was covering them. Under fire almost every day in the ‘fighting season’ and randomly at other times – from a single random shot from a hillside to a sustained attack lasting hours – death was always close at hand despite body armour, med packs and helicopter evac. The difference between seeing the next day and getting sent home to your family in a box might be the availability of a close Apache attack helicopter, an A-10  attack aircraft or fire support from a nearby base – and, of course, the guy sleeping in the next bunk. That level of trust and responsibility to the guy next to you builds something in a team of youngsters, something you just don’t get in civilian life where an untied shoe or a forgotten battery recharge doesn’t put both your life and the lives of the team in mortal danger. 

Despite all my previous reading on combat and soldiers, this was still quite an eye-opener. I think it was both the closeness and the rawness of the account that made the difference. This wasn’t just a journalist who flew in, interviewed a few men and an officer for an hour or two and then disappeared. This was a journalist who was ‘in the shit’ with the people he was reporting on and who agonised about his responsibility not to do anything stupid which endangered the others or whether he could pick up a gun to defend them if things got really bad. I was actually impressed that, although he didn’t carry a weapon throughout his multiple visits he was trained to use all of the weapons at the platoon's disposal and even offered to carry ammunition for the heavy weapon team when one of their number was going to be ‘bumped’ to make room for him on the helicopter. Overall, I was very impressed by the author and am looking forward to reading some of his previous work (including ‘The Perfect Wave’) and his follow up to this book on the effects of PTSD. Obviously with a book of this nature there are some nasty moments and a sprinkling of profanity throughout, so be warned. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand modern combat or the Afghan War. 

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Just Finished Reading: In the Shadows of the American Century – The Rise and Decline of US Global Power by Alfred W McCoy (FP: 2017) [256pp] 

An interesting way to look at modern US history (post-Civil War) is to see it as an Empire in the mould of the British or ancient Athenian empires – not one simply of conquest and domination but almost accidental (in the sense of not entirely deliberate).  Built through the provocation of wars and interventions from the Spanish-American war to the First and especially Second World Wars, America found itself torn from its preferred isolationist comfort zone and thrust onto the world stage as a player par excellence. It was World War 2 that made the US into a global powerhouse and the ‘arsenal of democracy’ (to say nothing of the world's richest nation by far and – briefly – the world’s only Super-power) but it was the subsequent Cold War that made the United States into an Empire in all but name. With the need to contain and, where required, combat the proxies of the ideological opposing force of Communism wherever they were found across the entire planet's surface (or beyond) the build-up of a truly staggering military force, the construction of numerous military bases around hot spots and the building of alliances for mutual defence developed into an Empire almost by default and, it seemed, almost as an afterthought. But built it was and the post-1945 world was named, without irony, the American Century. 

The previous empire (the world spanning British) that the Americans had now overshadowed had its own century running from 1815 to 1914 – going into slow and then accelerating decline after the exhausting Great War – and it was, at least initially, thought that the pax Americana would both outlast and outshine its predecessor. But the going has been far from easy. The Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons far faster than had been anticipated and the US no longer held the monopoly on world destruction. Other countries followed and the nuclear ‘club’ has been slowly expanding ever since. Although the military might of American forces was certainly not to be trifled with – as seen in Korea – the defeat in Vietnam tarnished their reputation for decades until the lightening victory in the first Gulf War. But, as we know, subsequent conflicts in Afghanistan and Gulf War 2 televised as they were for all the world to see showed beyond doubt the America’s predominance on the field of battle was no longer a given. The American Empire must now co-exist with other rising powers, most especially China, and come to terms with being more of a first amongst equals in a multi-polar world. The question is, naturally, just how long can the US retain its present position. Even with recent setbacks, the Chinese economy is due to overtake the US sooner rather than later. Likewise, the Chinese military strength grows by the day. If those two nations ever came to blows the outcome and the winner is up for debate, and it is far from certain that the US would prevail. We are indeed living through interesting times. 

This was, to be honest, a definite highlight of the year for me. The author most certainly ‘knows his stuff’ and manages to bring together almost a century of geopolitical history into a coherent narrative that is both persuasive and a little frightening. It also throws into perspective, at least for me, the present political turmoil that the US is going through. Looking at it through the lens of an Empire in decline it makes perfect sense. Indeed, its exactly what you might have expected to see as the Roman Empire crumbled long before the barbarians arrived at their gates. A fascinating read and highly recommended for anyone wanting to both understand the history of the US and, just possibly, its future. 

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Just Finished Reading: A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby (FP: 1958) [279pp] 

It was more than a whim, although not much more. Having decided that after 10 years the clothing industry was not for him the recently published author decided that he needed adventure, travel and the basis of a new travel book. He cabled his friend Hugh Carless at the British Embassy in Rio “Can You Travel Nuristan June?” to which he received a cool three-word reply “Of Course, Hugh”. It was the beginning of a plan, although maybe ‘plan’ was a slight exaggeration. 

Although Hugh had some experience of the area, and helpfully spoke Persian, the author had almost none. Worse still, part of the trip would involve climbing in some of the least hospitable parts of Afghanistan. With scant weeks to purchase equipment and little knowledge or experience to go on (to say nothing of the contrary advice received from all quarters) Eric did his best as he waited for Hugh to arrive in England. The timing was delicate. Not only did the pair need to take into account the expected weather at their final destination but Hugh was on a short break between diplomatic postings and had already agreed a start date at his new post. With time growing short they travelled to Wales to learn the basic rudiments of mountain climbing. Only days later they were packing for the drive across Europe accompanied by Eric’s wife who would fly back to Italy to pick up the children after they reached Tehran. 

Once they arrived in Afghanistan the fun (somewhat of an exaggeration there!) really started. Initially stymied by local officials they finally met up with their porters and guide who would take them deep ‘in country’ to Nuristan – an area that few Europeans had ever been to (at least in the 1950’s). Carrying a limited amount of (at least from my position) frighteningly primitive equipment they trekked for days across a scenic wilderness to attempt a climb of a mountain that Hugh had failed to reach on his previous visit years before. Already suffering from dysentery, they both tried their best and, in their naivety, took far too many risks in the process – to be honest my heart was in my mouth more than once as they tried to traverse a mountain without any real idea just how dangerous it was and how unprepared they were!  

I’ve been looking at some travel books for a few years now (probably brought on by a hint of the cabin-fever of the first lockdowns!) and have finally managed to read one of them. This has been hailed as a classic of its type and has been voted into the Top 20 of the 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time. I’m not sure if I’d go quite that far but it was fun watching two young travelers clearly out of their depth (and luckily for them not knowing it) have an adventure of a lifetime. For a (largely) stay-at-home like me this was a fun read both for its travel elements and its peek into British/Western attitudes of the day as well as a look at 50’s Afghanistan before Russian and later Western forces chewed the country up. Definitely recommended for all armchair travelers.  

Just Finished Reading: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – A Memoir by Kim Barker (FP: 2011) [300pp]

It was the opportunity of a lifetime plus, as her editor rightly said, she was expendable: no marriage and no children. But was it a step far too far? Sure, Kim was a reporter with the Chicago Tribune with years of journalistic experience under her belt but her experience as a foreign correspondent was zero. Actually she had barely been outside the US, spoke only English and knew almost nothing about Islam or Osama Bin Laden – so of course Afghanistan would be the place to cut her foreign debut teeth. After all, what could possibly go wrong? Apparently lots but if Kim was one thing she was a quick study. She only managed to offend her guide once when arguing with him about the substance of Islam after reading a book about it, she only annoyed the US military command once when she reported back exactly what the troops on the ground felt about the war and she very quickly learnt how to deal with Pakistani men who constantly tried to pinch her backside at every opportunity. Some skills came easier than others and some skills she wished she had never needed to acquire – like learning to concentrate exactly where you walked and where you put your hands after reporting on the aftermath of suicide and car bombs. But oddly, and even she found it practically inexplicable, not only did she adapt to an environment and situation completely outside her previous experience but she started to actually thrive in it and then become addicted to downtown Kabul and the day to day, hour to hour drama that was Afghanistan.

I picked this up some time ago because I’d seen trailers for the movie of the same name and because Tina Fey was on the cover. From seeing the trailer (I never saw the movie) I had assumed that this was going to be a light-hearted semi-sarcastic look at the war in Afghanistan told from the view of a reporter completely out of her depth and making mistake after mistake as she tried to get ‘good copy’ for her paper back home. There was certainly an element of this – especially early on – along with plenty of rye humour (which I always ‘heard’ in Tina Fey’s ‘voice’ throughout the book!) but there was some much more here. To say I was surprised by the quality of the writing says much more about me than the author. It was to be honest THE surprise hit of the year for me. Being largely inexperienced and not a little ignorant of foreign countries and cultures Kim managed to ‘see’ much of what was going on (and just as importantly not going on) in Afghanistan with an almost innocent eye and reported back her impressions without the sophisticated gloss we’re so used to. Reporting from ground level, both before and after the war expanded into Iraq, we see the lives of the local Afghans, political leaders in both Afghanistan and Pakistan (who’s influence in Afghanistan is far too often overlooked), how other journalists saw the conflict and the thoughts of the ‘boots on the ground’ which were all too often a mixture of ignorance, arrogance and mystification.

Author (Left) and Tina Fey (Right)

Like many people on the ground during those early years Kim saw a deep lack of understanding from the military of who exactly they were fighting and what exactly the overall mission was, she saw either unforgivable ignorance of or tacit complicity with the enormous levels of corruption at every level of the Afghan government, she saw the wasted opportunities occasioned by the sudden switch of resources to Iraq at just the wrong moment and she saw US troops confused at how exactly they were supposed to train their future Afghan replacements with inadequate resources and little support themselves. In total it was, Kim understood after her time there, a complete clusterfuck waiting to happen. She was right – Whiskey Tango Foxtrot indeed. If you want an idea of what was happening in Afghanistan and why the project ultimately failed (as many people knew it would) this will definitely give you a good idea. One of the highlights of 2021 for me and most definitely, and very unexpectedly, highly recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: War Against the Taliban – Why It All Went Wrong in Afghanistan by Sandy Gall (FP: 2012)

It is no great surprise – to those who actually know their history – that Afghanistan has the well-deserved label of the Graveyard of Empires. Alexander tried to occupy the country and failed as did the British (3 times) and the Russians before the Americans and British (again) plus other allies tried again after the attacks on 9/11. Honestly the British at least should have known better.

Whilst comparatively easy to attack and invade it’s almost impossible to hold Afghanistan for very long with anything like acceptable casualties (on either side). For one thing the terrain is unforgiving both on man and machine. The roads are often of questionable quality and always open to ambush. The Afghans themselves are a deeply tribal people with allegiances going back generations and vendettas going back just as far. Kill one of them and a hundred others will dedicate every waking minute to gaining revenge no matter the cost. After hundreds of years of combat against the major powers of each era the Afghans have developed a belief that they cannot ultimately be beaten before the price in blood of the invaders is too high to sustain.

But these are not the only reasons that the latest adventure in Afghanistan has been doomed to failure from the very start. A good place to start is the impossibility of nation building where nationhood does not exist. Despite the fact that many Afghans would identify as such their first and only true allegiance is to their family and their tribe. Welding a deeply tribal culture into a more modern nationalist one will take many more years than the West are prepared to take – even if such a thing is possible. Then there is the drug trade and the corruption it fosters in an area already known for its patronage and nepotism. Pouring billions of dollars into the country to build roads and institutions only made a bad situation worse. But by far the biggest problem – even bigger than cultural ignorance – is Pakistan. Despite the denials it eventually became clear that Taliban fighters were treating northern Pakistan as a safe haven and that not only were they allowed to do so but that Pakistani Intelligence armed and trained many of the Taliban that would eventually attack Allied troops in Afghanistan. The reasons are deep and often complex but the evidence for Pakistan’s collusion is overwhelming. What could, or will, be done about this fact is an even more difficult question to answer.

The author is both incredibly knowledgeable and informed about the region and has been their repeatedly since the early 1970’s and has developed relationships with some of the key players on all sides in that time. His access to members of Pakistan’s High Command, Allied commanders and members of Taliban units was astonishing. Such access not enabled him to bring out the strategic aspects of the conflict so that whatever was being discussed was always in the context of wider regional and global concerns. The diversion into Iraq was instrumental in siphoning off vast quantities of men and material at a vital time in the Afghan conflict at best delaying any final resolution and quite possibly derailing the whole campaign. Only much later – what the war was almost lost – did resources start to flow back into Afghanistan to stave off total defeat.

This is a must read for anyone trying to wrap their heads around what on earth is happening in this most tragic place. You get a real sense of what’s happening on the ground both from the grunts point of view as well as normal Afghan civilians who just want the killing to stop and the foreigners to leave. Highly recommended and much more to come.     

Just Finished Reading: Return of a King – The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple (FP: 2013)

It all started with a rumour – the Napoleon intended to threaten the British Empire by attacking India from the north. With his defeat at Waterloo in 1815 this fear morphed into something with more substance, that Russia with her Persian ally could occupy the unexplored and unknown land of Afghanistan thereby threatening the British (hoped for) domination of Central Asia. Something, the hawkish parties back in London determined, must be done. But first information about this terra incognita needed to be acquired and to do that the East India Company sent one of its brightest and best to negotiate a treaty with the then King of Afghanistan. That Company man was Mountstuart Elphinstone [which has to be one of my favourite names of all time and sounds like someone out of a Tolkien novel] an expert in languages and on Persia. The meeting took place on the very edge of Afghan territory and went well. As the King returned in good spirits he discovered that while he had been talking to the British a palace coup had taken place forcing him to flee for his life – back into the arms (eventually) of the East India Company. There he stayed, in comparative poverty for years until finally the British needed him. After decades of turmoil in Afghanistan if looked like a Persian backed and Russian supported King would come to power on the Northern Frontier. This is something the Empire could not, and would not, tolerate. It was time to return the exiled King to power, supported by his good friends the British.

It was at this point that everything that could go wrong did so. The leaders of the expedition, both military and diplomatic, knew nothing of the area, people or terrain they needed to travel through and were as about unprepared as they possibly could be for what lay ahead. Only sheer bloody-mindedness and some good luck got them to the Afghan plain in reasonable condition. Once installed as ‘advisors’ to the King they made repeated mistakes, would not take the advice of experts on the ground, and continually annoyed the local chieftains. As might be imagined it was not long before unrest turned to murderous revolt. Difficult as it was to imagine (even for those directly involved) the revolt was even more badly handled than the invasion itself which allowed a small divided opposition to become a cohesive and well-co-ordinated rebel army. After a series of incompetent decisions piled up open each other there was finally only (apparently) one option left: To leave the country to its own devices and return to India. This was the most ridiculous part of the whole fiasco and ended in one the greatest defeats of a British army by local natives ever recorded. Not being able to let such an event stand there was only one response possible. As soon as they could be gathered from all over the sub-continent an Army of Retribution was put together to ‘teach the Afghans a lesson’ and force the return of any hostages. As can be imagined after such a disaster and with the honour of the Empire at stake the retribution was brutal indeed.

Told in epic style and using contemporary accounts from both sides of the divide this was a gripping piece of history with clear resonances to present events in that long troubled area of the world. What stood out to me most of all, apart from the avoidable tragedy of it all, is the staggering incompetence of the British leadership – both military and diplomatic. More than once I read whole pages with my mouth open in amazement at the levels of arrogant stupidity exhibited by supposedly educated and experienced men. Of course in any such events there are heroes as well as fools and knaves, and there are definitely enough heroes (and heroines) to go around. Whilst not exactly Britain’s finest hour this is a truly fascinating story of an oft forgotten war in a faraway place. Brilliant and highly recommended.

Just Finished Reading: Churchill’s First War – Young Winston and the Fight against the Taliban by Con Couchlin (FP: 2013)

In the late 1890’s the young Winston Churchill had only one idea, one ambition – to enter politics and to gain rank and stature in society just as his father had. With that aim in mind he determined to join the military and see action as soon as possible which would allow the displaying of all the virtues of the age. But with his poor educational achievements the best regiments where closed to him – much to the evident displeasure of his father. So Winston ‘settled’ for an elite cavalry unit – the 4th (Queen’s Own) Hussars – in which he finally found his element. Quickly becoming known for his constant questioning, studious nature and excellent horsemanship he gladly took on more and more responsibility and generated favourable reports from his superiors. But this was not enough. Using his family connections he managed to get himself and a friend sent to Cuba to cover the little war going on their between the dying Spanish Empire and Cuban rebels. Reporting both for a newspaper column and for military intelligence Winston came under fire for the first time and decided he liked it.

Returning to his regiment he had little time to enjoy his new found fame, and a tidy sum paid for his newspaper reports, before being shipped off to India. There he found regimental life to be rather dull, uninspiring and, more importantly, useless for his future career. Again using his contacts at home and in the army he managed to get himself posted to the North West Frontier where Afghan rebels had risen up against the British. Ordered to ‘chastise them’ General Sir Bindon Blood (a family friend) agreed to take Winston on as a roaming officer and so he rushed north before the fighting ended. This was a wholly different experience from his time in Cuba. The Afghans, though outgunned and outnumbered, fought with ruthless bravery and more than once put the young Winston in real mortal peril. After several months in combat Winston was ordered back to his unit where he wrote his first book The Story of the Malakand Field Force in 1898 which made his reputation as an author and as a soldier. 120 years later it was a work studied by General Stanley McCrystal during his time in a rather different but sometimes very similar war fought in those same hills.

Told in a very readable style this was an excellent introduction to the life of a young Winston Churchill. I’d known he’d been a correspondent during the Boar War in South Africa but hadn’t realised he’d previously seen action in Afghanistan. From the quoted excerpts from his book of the experiences he was certainly in the thick of it and at least once came very close to being killed. How different the history of the world might have been if he’d died on the Frontier is anyone’s guess. But without his immensely important involvement in both WW1 and WW2 I’m guessing that things would not have gone as well for Britain in either war. That, I found myself, was the great imponderable of the book – what if. I found that I almost had my heart in my mouth as I ‘witnessed’ the often reckless Winston trying again and again to be noticed under fire so that he could use that experience in the House of Commons and with his constituents. The drive of the man and the singular focus really comes across in this interesting part biography part Imperial history. Recommended for anyone interested in the region and in Winston himself. More on the great man to come.  

Just Finished Reading: Butcher & Bolt – Two Hundred Years of Foreign Engagement in Afghanistan by David Loyn (FP: 2008)

As this incisive and eye-opening book makes abundantly clear, Afghanistan is an easy country to invade and an impossible one to hold. If the recent Coalition Forces had known their (easily available) history they would have known that and many lives on both sides could have been saved. For centuries now the same mistakes have been made over and over again giving short shrift to the idea that we learn from history. Clearly we do not. From the First Afghan war in the early 19th Century, to the Second Afghan War mid-century and the inevitable Third War from the late 19th into the early 20th centuries the same attempts were made to control the country (as if the nation of Afghanistan actually existed) in the same way and failed in the same way. The Russian Occupation, which never apparently planned for an extended stay, similarly failed despite the brutality of their response to being attacked and their equal disregard for their own conscript casualties and those of the local population (combatant or not). The Allied Forces did no better in their invasion after the destruction of the bases there after 9/11. Easy in, impossible to hold, difficult to leave. Reading the accounts over the past 200 years could have told them that – although excuses would no doubt be found for it being different ‘this time’ even in a situation where our advanced technology is completely negated. This indeed is the main trust of the book.

Essential told in two halves – the historic and the recent – the author, who spent a great deal of time in the region and personally interviewed commanders on both sides of the divide (so much so that he was called a traitor by some and threatened with criminal proceedings), continually points out where things went wrong because of a fundamental mismatch between the image and the reality of Afghanistan perpetrated by people, both political and military, who felt that they had no need to understand the country they had invaded or the people who lived there. Over 200 years when myth met reality the real always won and people died because of it. As several commentators rightly said on the back cover this is a book that everyone thinking of campaigning in Afghanistan should be forced to read and think over. No doubt there are probably plans somewhere for a future occupation either by the Russians, the West or China and unless they understand what they are getting themselves into they will, like armies before them, leave the country ignominiously and leave behind chaos that will no doubt produce yet another generation of terrorists to fall upon the world. The only thing I think we should do with Afghanistan is leave it alone. Let them fight their endless tribal wars whilst keeping a watchful eye on things to see that this does not spill over into their neighbours backyards as it has already done in Pakistan (I believe the technical term for this is 'blowback’). If necessary call in the occasional airstrike or drone mission when things get dangerous enough and then leave well enough alone. It’s a modern variant of ‘butcher and bolt’ I agree but at least in might keep things contained on their side of the mountains rather than ours. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the region.

Just Finished Reading: Afgantsy – The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89 by Rodric Braithwaite (FP: 2011)

It’s not hard to draw parallels between the Russian experience in Afghanistan and that of the present Coalition of forces headed by the US who are essentially trying to do the same thing – build a country where none exists whilst being shot at and bombed 24/7. Not only is it a thankless task – especially (as always) for the poor bloody infantry – but it’s also an impossible task unless you are prepared to spend a great deal of money, a great deal of blood and generations of time to do so. Both the Russians before and the Coalition Forces today are finding that the price for ‘fixing’ Afghanistan is simply too high. It should come as no great surprise why the country (if you can call something a country merely because it has internationally agreed borders) has long been known as the ‘graveyard of Empires’. The Russians tried everything they could and despite the fact that they could be a great deal more unrestrained than the more ‘liberal’ western powers they still could not totally defeat the Mujahedin even before the US started arming them with modern sophisticated weapons. The Afghans have never taken kindly to foreign occupation – be it from Alexander the Great, The British Empire, the Russians or the Americans. They have resistance and rebellion in the blood and will fight anyone as long as they won’t leave – no matter how many of them you try to kill. The country is basically unconquerable unless you are willing to use every weapon at your disposal to supress the population – only to be left with a desert you never wanted in the first place.

This is the story of Braithwaite’s detailed and fascinating book. It is a book that every politician and every military commander should be forced to read. When we leave in 2014 the Coalition forces will have, like the Russians before them, achieved little of lasting impact. Like the years after the withdrawal in 1989 the country is likely to descend into bloody civil war as the strongest factions fight over the country and its meagre resources. Whether we, or any other nation, is stupid enough to try again in the future is anyone’s guess. I suppose that next time it will the turn of the Chinese to try their hand at taming the untameable. After all they’re just about the only ‘superpower’ that hasn’t tried yet.

If you’re interested in what went on in the 80’s and what is likely to go on in the middle years of the 21^st century in that ungovernable region of the planet then this is definitely the book for you. I’m certainly a lot more informed about what happened back then and a great deal more clued into the difficulties our troops are having out there for precious little result no matter what the propaganda machine would have you believe. Highly recommended.