The Afghan War started as an internal conflict in 1978 which lead to the overthrow of the government in 1992. Ever since, the country has been at war.
The recent fallout of the Afghanistan war has left the people of Afghanistan in deep agony and the entire world staring at a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The US Troops in Afghanistan pulled out in May this year, which has been said as one of the reasons behind the sudden rise of the Taliban state. But understanding the conflict is not that easy. Jared Diamond in this book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” quotes, “History, as well as life itself, is complicated – neither life nor history is an enterprise for those who seek simplicity and consistency”
Histroy as well as life itself is complicated – neither life nor histroy is an enterprise for those who seek simplicity and consistency
Jared Diamond, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeeed
And hence, for you seekers out there who want to understand the entire scenario of the Afghan war, I have curated a list of books that will cover the Afghan-Taliban conflict and the intervention of the West in the war.
The following books can be read independently in any particular manner but a chronological order is provided for better understanding of the reader.
1. Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History, by Thomas Barfield
This book captures the volatility of this region along with a record of its historic struggles and changing political regimes. The book covers a wide time frame starting from the sixteenth century Mughal Empire to the Taliban resurgence. The author explores various ethnicities in the region and introduces the reader to the intricate diversity of the country. The book covers describes how the civil war started and mutilated the country.
The book is a great start from anyone who wants to explore this part of the country and learn about its history and demography.
2. Before Taliban – Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad, by David B Edwards
The author traces the life of the three recent leaders of Afghanistan – Nur Muhammad Taraki, Samiullah Safi and Qazi Amin Waqad to elaborate on the promises of progress and prosperity of the 60s and what lead to the tragedies of the current situation. Afghans in the twentieth century believed their nation would become a model of socio-economic development but with rising political conflicts, civil war and foreign invasion the country took a downturn which leads to the present tragedies.
The book traces the recent developments in the Afghan region and talks about the socio-economic changes in the pre-Taliban era.
3. The Taliban: The Story of the Afghan Warlords, by Ahmed Rashid
Following the pre-Taliban developments in the previous book, this one covers the formation and rise of the Taliban. The author explains the country’s religious and racial tensions and the drug trade situation that made the situation more dreadful.
The author also talks about the rise of Osama Bin Laden and how he managed to become a figure of absolute power. From the rise of the Taliban to the reason behind its sustenance, this one captures the story of the Taliban and gives more context to the readers.
The book takes into account the socio-political issues, the diversity of the region, civil wars and captures the chaotic incidences in a subtle way.
4. The Wars of Afghanistan, by Peter Tomsen
The Wars of Afghanistan covers the happenings in the region from the year 1970 to about 2010. The writer was a former diplomat who served in Afghanistan and provides a detailed account of the conflict in the given timeframe.
The book also introduces the interventions of the US and how the region changed into a battleground between the US and the Taliban. The author also includes the role of Pakistan and how things are going wrong.
The book introduces the role of other countries and how they affected the situation in the region.
5. The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan, 2001-2014, by Carlotta Gall
To extend the incidences from the previous book ‘The Wars of Afghanistan’, this one captures the role of the US in the regional conflict. the author of this book, Carlotta Gall was one of the journalists who have covered the issue in great detail.
The book includes various interviews of the officials from the Afghan Government, the US, and Pakistan. The author narrates a horrifying account of the deals between governments and exposes the true duplicity of the people involved.
This is the most entertaining and thrilling book from the list.
6. Farewell Kabul, by Charlotte Lamb
The book was written in the year 2015 but the title makes the utmost sense in the present situation. Christina Lamb is another journalist who closely watched the occurrences on the ground and gives an elaborative account to the readers.
Farewell Kabul is a novel that captures the role of the US and Britain in the longest war that the US fought and how the fiasco has left Afghanistan as one of the poorest countries in the world. The very personal book includes the experiences of Christina while traveling across the country from the badlands of Kunar to the Tora Bora caves, from the city of poets to the jihadi camps in Pakistan. This detailed account of the brave journalist who traveled to the hardest and the riskiest of the places to unravel the truths is worth a read.
7. War Against the Taliban: Where it all went wrong in Afghanistan, by Sandy Gall
This one is one of the easiest to read and ties up the entire context from the previous books in an organized manner. Sandy Gall goes back to the involvement of the Soviet Union and sets up the reasoning for the things that lead to the present distressing situation of the country with great understanding.
The author also talks about India but seems to show the country as a Hindu expansionist state, I would advise the readers to ignore these parts and focus on the analysis that he has presented.
The above reading list is more than enough to understand in detail the Afghanistan crisis. In these times when the situation have taken a grave downturn, I conclude this blog with a hope that things soon get better for the people of Afghan.
