Book Description
Of all the horrors human beings perpetrate, genocide stands near the top of the list. Its toll is staggering: well over 100 million dead worldwide. Why Did They Kill? is one of the first anthropological attempts to analyze the origins of genocide. In it, Alexander Hinton focuses on the devastation that took place in Cambodia from April 1975 to January 1979 under the Khmer Rouge in order to explore why mass murder happens and what motivates perpetrators to kill. Basing his analysis on years of investigative work in Cambodia, Hinton finds parallels between the Khmer Rouge and the Nazi regimes. Policies in Cambodia resulted in the deaths of over 1.7 million of that country's 8 million inhabitants--almost a quarter of the population--who perished from starvation, overwork, illness, malnutrition, and execution. Hinton considers this violence in light of a number of dynamics, including the ways in which difference is manufactured, how identity and meaning are constructed, and how emotionally resonant forms of cultural knowledge are incorporated into genocidal ideologies.
Customer Reviews:
An absolute must-read for scholars and lay people alike .......2005-05-07
Why Did They Kill?: Cambodia In The Shadow Of Genocide by Alexander Laban Hinton (Associate professor of Anthropology, Rutgers University, Newark) explores the cultural and political underpinnings of one the most heinous holocausts of the twentieth century, perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia from April 1975 to January 1979. Approximately twenty percent of Cambodia's population died due to starvation, malnutrition, disease, and outright execution due to the drastic policies the Khmer Rouge implemented trying to transform the nation into a purely agrarian state. The Khmer Rouge regime was unusual among genocidal states in that, though it did target muslim, Chinese, and Vietnamese citizens, much of the killing was ethnic Khmer exterminating ethnic Khmer, a perplexing feature that sets it apart from many ethnicity or religion-based genocide situations. Indeed, the Khmer purged so many of its own cadres that its destructive ways weakened itself and contributed to its downfall when Vietnam invaded. Why Did They Kill? strives to answer its title question drawing upon the author's extensive anthropological study and expertise, and includes numerous interviews and testimonies, as well as insights into human psychology and sociology. Why Did They Kill? postulates that societies can be "primed" for genocide when saturated by certain features such as severe class distinctions, the absence of an international response, moral restructuring, socioeconomic uphevals and more, and then "activated" into mass killing by various triggers, especially idealogues who spread a climate of fear to induce violence. Chilling yet meticulous in its search for answers, "Why Did They Kill?" is an absolute must-read for scholars and lay people alike striving to understand genocide in Cambodia as well as the horrific underpinnings and workings of so-called "idealogical genocide" in general.
Obedience -- last refuge of killer, observer, victim.......2005-01-05
Alexander Hinton obviously put heart and soul into this work. Our intellectual side never ceases trying to understand the beast that lies deep within every human.
The chapter entitled "Manufacturing Difference" touched me most. Today we invent sterile legalistic terms like "person under control" [PUC] and "enemy combatant" [EC] to replace "prisoner" to avert our consciences from the denials of due process. Labels are just as important to us as they are to "evil doers," it appears. The self-imposed and external pressures that influenced the behavior of Khmer Rouge interrogators are described in some depth, and help explain our own recent failures and abuses.
The chapter "Power, Patronage, and Suspicion" is rich with fascinating examples from post Khmer Rouge Cambodia. Upon reflection, we see the same instinct to curry the patronage of powerful political figures is alive and well in today's America. Once again, we start off studying what we assume is a more primitive society only to end up shining a light upon our own human failings. Somehow our own faults are held deeply submerged, probably because of the same instinctive self-defense tools which the "perpetrators" employ when asked, "Why did you kill?"
The leaders of genocide always appear to me to be simple power seekers who have an instinctive sense of the tools of human control. Strange how the "godless" Khmer Rouge and the Taliban "student seekers of God" were so alike. I cannot stare into the vacant eyes of one without thinking of the other. The common perpetrator hides within each of us under the label "cowardice." As David Chandler explained so well in his own masterful work on S-21, when men attach themselves to a bureaucracy they place themselves in a "state of agency" which allows them to do evil for self-interest and self-preservation while evading their own conscience in the process. One who finds himself obedient and "moveable" in terms of his principles is a prime candidate to find in himself the perpetrator of shameful acts.
Along the path of this penetrating study, Alexander Hinton has done a wonderful job annotating the twisted Khmer Rouge terminology which still never fails to send a chill down my spine.
I read "Why did they kill?" trying to use it as a mirror to see if I could recognize my own face. As I feared, some shadows were all too familiar.
Essential reading.......2004-11-08
Deep and deeply disturbing study of genocide and of Cambodia. This book is essential reading - easily the most insightful work on the motivations of people which give rise to genocide and a mine of information on the origins, history and consequences of the period. A superbly researched and well-written study. Anybody interested in what happened in these years in Cambodia, as well as anybody interested in what motivates societies and the individuals that constitute those societies to act as they do should read this book - but be aware that the book may also be a mirror.
Book Description
1998 Winner of the International Studies Association's Harold and Margaret Sprout Award
Peter Dauvergne developed the concept of a "shadow ecology" to assess the total environmental impact of one country on resource management in another country or area. Aspects of a shadow ecology include government aid and loans; corporate practices, investment, and technology transfers; and trade factors such as consumption, export and consumer prices, and import tariffs.
In Shadows in the Forest, Dauvergne examines Japan's effect on commercial timber management in Indonesia, East Malaysia, and the Philippines. Japan's shadow ecology has stimulated unsustainable logging, which in turn has triggered widespread deforestation. Although Japanese practices have improved somewhat since the early 1990s, corporate trade structures and purchasing patterns, timber prices, wasteful consumption, import tariffs, and the cumulative environmental effects of past practices continue to undermine sustainable forest management in Southeast Asia.
This book is the first to analyze the environmental impact of Japanese trade, corporations, and aid on timber management in the context of Southeast Asian political economies. It is also one of the first comprehensive studies of why Southeast Asian states are unable to enforce forest policies and regulations. In particular, it highlights links between state officials and business leaders that reduce state funds, distort policies, and protect illegal and unsustainable loggers. More broadly, the book is one of the first to examine the environmental impact of Northeast Asian development on Southeast Asian resource management and to analyze the indirect environmental impact of bilateral state relations on the management of one Southern resource.
Average customer rating:
- An Extraordinary View of Remote Mountain Kingdoms
- in the shadow of the himalayas:tibet-bhutan-nepal-sikkim
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In the Shadow of the Himalayas: Tibet - Bhutan - Nepal - Sikkim A Photographic Record by John Claude White 1883-1908
Kurt Meyer
Manufacturer: Mapin Publishing Gp Pty Ltd
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Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya
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Sacred Landscape And Pilgrimage in Tibet: In Search of the Lost Kingdom of Bon
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Himalaya
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Homage to the Himalayas
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Inside Himalaya
ASIN: 189020661X |
Book Description
Kurt Meyer is a Fellow Emeritus of the American Institute of Architects. Meyer first travelled to the Himalayas in the 1970s, with his wife Pamela Deuel Meyer; they lived in Nepal for a decade where they researched the life of John Claude White as well as the art and culture of the artistic Tharu people of Nepal.
Customer Reviews:
An Extraordinary View of Remote Mountain Kingdoms.......2007-02-18
This extraordinary book presents 113 sepia-toned photographs, with commentary, of the people, architecture and landscape of Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sikkim, taken by a career British officer in the late 19th and very early 20th century. Anyone with an interest in this region should be enthralled by his remarkable photographs of these remote mountain worlds. The photos represent an important historical record, and give us a fascinating view of these mysterious hidden kingdoms. The book is beautifully designed, and the authors provide important historical background on the photographer (John Claude White), his life and times, and the history of the region.
in the shadow of the himalayas:tibet-bhutan-nepal-sikkim.......2007-01-03
this book shows the above counties'sights by photo from 1883 to 1908.you may say this is an old records.however,especially the kingdom of sikkim,
the records on this book are very very variable and important matwerial even if you have not any interest in this country.because many people never heard the name of "sikkim",that's the important point.we thought we know all countries around this small globe,but it's not correct.because we never know about sikkim at all,even the name of this coutry.I hope you agree with me about this point,at least.today you can touch and know every countries at book stores except sikkim.hope you may have the same feeling and thoughts about this small black hall in this world.how can i say...we have to know more about sikkim any way . thank you.
Customer Reviews:
A delightfully nutty perspective.......1998-11-20
I am reading this book, so I thought I'd check to see what others have said about it. As I expected, the reviews online come from cheerleaders of the revisionist camp. Personally, I find the book to be useful information from the leftist perspective. I keep thinking: yes, yes, all that is true enough, but from the information available to Truman in July 1945, did he have any alternative but to authorize the use of the bomb?
I'll post further thoughts on my website.
-- Dan Ford
Hiroshima's Shadows presents voices from all sides.......1998-08-24
Here is an extract from my review of 'Hiroshima's Shadows', that appeared in 'New Politics', no. 25 (Summer 1998):
'Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial of History and the Smithsonian Controversy' is an enormous, and aesthetically handsome work, bringing together nearly 50 essays between between 1945 and 1997 by scholars, military, political and religious leaders, independent intellectuals, and survivors of the atomic bombings. The book is unusual in that, though it has a strong editorial point of view, the editors unflinchingly present voices from all sides of the argument.
The contribors include Albert Camus, Dwight Macdonald, Lewis Mumford, Mary McCarthy, A.J. Muste, among others. Defenders of the bomb include Charles Krauthammer who says that we should "let the Japanese commemorate the catastrophe they brought on themselves" (rather than mourn the use of the bomb), and Paul Fussel, an English professor and ex-front line combatant, who raises the slogan, "thank god for the atomic bomb." An even wider range of ideological positions is represented on the side of the critics: Lifschultz and Bird have recovered an anti-bomb editorial from the paleo-right-wing 'Human Events' and placed it alongside the observations of Mahatma Gandhi and Norman Thomas. As the editors put it, "the usual distinctions of left and right on economic and social issues were not reliable guides which could accurately predict what people thought about Hiroshima."
A substantial section of the book contains memoirs of a few survivors. These memoirs underscore the enduring reality that it was civilians, not military objectives, who were then, and remain, the prime target of nuclear weapons.
Hiroshima's Shadows presents voices from all sides.......1998-08-24
Here is an extract from my review of 'Hiroshima's Shadows', that appeared in 'New Politics', no. 25 (Summer 1998):
'Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial of History and the Smithsonian Controversy' is an enormous, and aesthetically handsome work, bringing together nearly 50 essays between between 1945 and 1997 by scholars, military, political and religious leaders, independent intellectuals, and survivors of the atomic bombings. The book is unusual in that, though it has a strong editorial point of view, the editors unflinchingly present voices from all sides of the argument.
The contribors include Albert Camus, Dwight Macdonald, Lewis Mumford, Mary McCarthy, A.J. Muste, among others. Defenders of the bomb include Charles Krauthammer who says that we should "let the Japanese commemorate the catastrophe they brought on themselves" (rather than mourn the use of the bomb), and Paul Fussel, an English professor and ex-front line combatant, who raises the slogan, "thank god for the atomic bomb." An even wider range of ideological positions is represented on the side of the critics: Lifschultz and Bird have recovered an anti-bomb editorial from the paleo-right-wing 'Human Events' and placed it alongside the observations of Mahatma Gandhi and Norman Thomas. As the editors put it, "the usual distinctions of left and right on economic and social issues were not reliable guides which could accurately predt what people thought about Hiroshima."
A substantial section of the book contains memoirs of a few survivors. These memoirs underscore the enduring reality that it was civilians, not military objectives, who were then, and remain, the prime target of nuclear weapons.
The most comprehensive and balanced account to date........1998-07-31
Hiroshima's Shadow is perhaps the most comprehensive and balanced collection of essays to date on the decision to use atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
While some insist on a single interpretation of these events and label any reinterpretation as unpatriotic or unAmerican, the New York Times put it best: "The real betrayal of American tradition would be to insist on a single version of history or to make it the property of the state or any group. History in America is based on freedom of inquiry and discussion, which is one reason why Americans have given their lives to defend it."
Book Description
A powerful and vivid account of Vietnam, one of the most beautiful, ravaged, and misunderstood countries in the world
In Shadows and Wind, Robert Templer paints a fascinating and fresh picture of a country usually viewed with hazy nostalgia or deep suspicion. Here is Hanoi, an increasingly tense and troubled city approaching its millennium but uncertain of its direction. Here are people emerging from a long wilderness of malnutrition, discovering a new lifestyle of leisure and luxury. And everywhere are the anomalies that burst the bubble of optimism: a vastly expensive luxury hotel sitting empty in an unknown town six hours from an international airport; museums crammed with fake exhibits. And there remains the one-party Communist state, still wrapped in secrecy and corruption, and making for an uneasy bedfellow with the rapacious capitalism it now encourages.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews in Vietnam and years of research, Robert Templer has produced the first in-depth examination of the problems facing modern Vietnam. Shadows and Wind is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Vietnam that now has emerged from a century of conflict with both foreign powers and with itself.
"Groundbreaking. . . . In a convincing blend of colorful reportage and trenchant analysis, Robert Templer blows away the myths that have misinformed the world about this deeply troubled country."--Jeremy Grant, The Financial Times
"A meticulous and fascinating investigation.. . . For anyone interested in the real legacy of the Vietnam War, this book should be compulsory reading." --The Guardian
Customer Reviews:
Contemporary Look At Vietnam.......2005-04-11
While in Vietnam I picked up an interesting book about contemporary Vietnam called Shadows and Wind by Robert Templer. Anyway, after my first trip to Vietnam I read Stanley Karnow's excellent history, Vietnam, which focuses on the cuses of the war and the aftermath and I felt this might be a follow up of sorts, picking up where Karnow left off. It's not as contemporary as I'd like-it was published in 1998, but the author has interesting insights to make about the myth of Vietnam, the culture, the generation gap, food, politics, Viet Kieu (exiled or refugee Vietnamese), religion, and everyday life. Albeit the chapters on politics were long and difficult to get through-they came in the middle of the book, which seemed to slow me in my progress. However, I found the opening and closing chapters the most interesting and informative about contemporary Vietnamese society and from what I saw on my last trip to Hanoi-it is still fairly accurate. The Vietnamese are slowing making their way to the usual global consumerism with their pursuit of Honda Dream motorcycles, cell phones, and other consumer goods, but the governement has kept economic expansion moving at a trickle compared to other countries. More than half of the population was born after the war and no one ever gave me grief because I was an American. It'll be interesting to see whether or not Vietnam develops an economic model like China.
One of Two Great books on Vietnam!.......2004-09-08
I read this book because it was recommended in the back of my favorite book on Vietnam: The Bamboo Chest: An Adventure in Healing the Trauma of War
After reading this book I can understand why Mr. Graham recommended it in his book The Bamboo Chest, and why there are so many who've read both The Bamboo Chest: An Adventure in Healing the Trauma of War and Shadows And Wind and consider them the two best books on Vietnam in recent years. As a Vietnamese-American I can definitely attest to the both authors' understanding of the topic of Vietnam: one author gained his through living and reporting on Vietnam for three years, and the other through living in Vietnam during the worst years of the War, and spending eleven months in a re-education camp, just like my uncle!
Get The Bamboo Chest and Shadows and Wind and you'll have a complete understanding of Vietnam and its people!
Get the facts behind the headlines!.......2004-09-07
This book and memoir "The Bamboo Chest: An Adventure in Healing the Trauma of War" by Frederick "Cork Graham are the best books on Vietnam that my reading club and I have read in the last ten years. Both of them stories that have never been told by any other writers who appear only to be regurgitating the findings of previous writers many of them long since dead. If you really want to know what is behind the veil of secrecy in Vietnam then these "Shadows and Wind" and "The Bamboo Chest" are the books for you! Both are written by authors who spent more than a year in Vietnam. Graham spent eleven months as the first american political prisoner held in that country since the end of outright fighting.
Wonderful book.......2004-04-11
A truly wonderful book. Templer writes with beautiful flowing prose, expressing complex ideas and thoughts in an enjoyable and easy to understand manner. Thoroughly researched, this well-organized book provides some essential history and how the history relates to the modern society, then covers all of the main issues of Vietnamese culture and society - including hunger, writing, AIDS, youth, and corrruption - bringing a picture to life of an often confusing and stereotyped land. I learned a tremendous amount from this book. Many of my pre-impressions and stereotypes were wiped away and I finished with more questions, more curiousity, and more understanding about this country that I expected. Highly recommended.
A windbag errant.......2003-10-27
Persuasive only to the unknowledgeable reader this is journalism at its slippery worst. Close examination of the references shows many inaccuracies which make even a junior scholar of Vietnam cringe.It is clear that Mr Templer has no real knowledge of the Vietnamese language and his social and political commentrary is very much a scissors and paste selection from various news agencies. Even more disappointing is his obvious bias which seems to have been the result of perceived attacks on his personal vanity. He is far from a dispassionate observer and this book will only reinforce the prejudices of readers who are parti pris. One is saddened to think that the naive should be so easily drawn to such self-opinionated stuff, when there are books like Neil Jamieson's "Understanding Vietnam" available.
Average customer rating:
- A "Must Own" Book
- Save your pennies, it's worth it!
- Would rather read a single personal account
- AMAZING BOOK!!
- Not your average coffee table book...
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Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History
Susan Meiselas
Manufacturer: Random House
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ASIN: 0679423893
Release Date: 1997-10-28 |
Amazon.com
Dismantled in the aftermath of World War I, Kurdistan is little more than a lingering memory among millions of living Kurds, against whom are pitted the governments of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. Susan Meiselas gathers historical documents, maps, charts, and photographs that document the changing fortunes of the Kurdish people in the 20th century; anthropologist Martin Van Bruinessen provides ethnographic commentary on this mountain tribe's way of life. Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History helps bring the memory of Kurdistan and the reality of the present situation to the attention of readers unfamiliar with the region.
Customer Reviews:
A "Must Own" Book.......2007-05-12
I can't put this book down, it's by far the most cherished book in my entire collection. The pictures, although heart-wrenching, are fascinating, the text is well researched and passionate. This is definitely a "must own" book, and I believe it should be required reading for all students. It captures the plight of the Kurdish population perfectly, and chronicles concisely the abuse and atrocities they have endured over the centuries. At the same time showing in explicit detail the pride and beauty of the Kurds. Anyone with even the slightest interest in history, justice, politics, or the cultures and traditions of the Kurdish and Middle Eastern regions, should own this book. Five stars is not nearly enough to rate this book, it deserves 5000 stars.
Save your pennies, it's worth it!.......2006-05-26
I don't own this book and can't afford it...but I'm saving to buy it. In the mean time I have access to one of the largest Middle Eastern libraries in the United States with unended renewal policies, so I do have a copy in my posession.
The pictures alone are absolutely amazing and well worth the book price. It has photos of original documents and papers that other books only mention in brief, transcripts from radio programs, diary entries, newspaper clippings, government papers...it is truely an amazing Kurdish documentary.
However because it does cover so much, it is not as in depth into specific subjects as other works. This does not make it any less valuable a resource though, for it contains a LOT of information that I have yet to find in any other source.
If you are a Kurdish scholar you MUST buy this book. If you are a Kurd and want to know your history, you should read this book. If you are curious about the Kurdish people, or have an interest in the regions history I highly recommend this book.
Even if you despise the Kurdish people and couldn't care less about their struggles, I still encourage you to read this book. For, if what you've been taught is true, it should certainly stand up in the face of all evidence. If it is not true, it is never too late to learn...and perhaps, just maybe, when your own country no longer discriminates against people who are different, other countries will no longer discriminate against yours for being different as well....just a little food for thought.
Would rather read a single personal account.......2005-03-20
Although this is a quality book, it is so overpriced that few people would ever buy it or get a chance to read it. I believe that the world is in great need of a readable volume about a Kurd who suffered through and survived the chemical attacks. I hope that an author famous for bringing to life the experiences of individuals will tackle this much needed project. Most people need to be educated on the Kurdish issue and on the Armenian issue. Such a book on either subject that targets ONE LIFE, I will buy and pass along to my Kurdish and Armenian relatives. This one is too convoluted and out of price range.
AMAZING BOOK!!.......2004-10-18
It is an absolutely well-written book, with great information about the history of the Kurds. It is definitely worth more than how much it's listed for because of the information and the pictures it has. I just can't wait to read more books of the writer! She has done a beautiful job.
Not your average coffee table book..........2002-02-03
For those with an interest in Kurdish studies, this volume is a must. Recording the history of this nation-less state, Meisalis has done an extraordinary job of compiling not only the traditional linear history, but has added a caleidoscope of supporting documentation, to include rare pictures,maps, letters, etc.... I value this book as a cornerstone of my collection of books dealing with the history of this region (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria). As mentioned in other reviews, this is a weighty tome (literally). Well worth the look for the pictures alone!
Amazon.com
Throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th, the Russian and British Empires played out a chess game of diplomacy, espionage, and military thrusts into Central Asia to protect their expanding interests. When play began, the frontiers of their empires lay 2,000 miles apart, across vast deserts and almost impassable mountain ranges; by the end, they were separated by only 20 miles. Karl E. Meyer of The New York Times and Shareen Blair Brysac, documentary filmmaker for CBS, update and significantly expand earlier studies of the imperial rivalry, notably Peter Hopkirk's pioneering The Great Game. Tournament of Shadows reads like a racy adventure story, yet there is no need for the authors to embellish their well-researched facts. The region attracted a host of bizarre characters, each with his own idiosyncratic goals. The authors begin with the journey to Bokhara of an ambitious horse doctor, hired by the East India Company in 1806 to improve its breeding stock, and end with the CIA's assistance to anti-Chinese guerrillas in Tibet during the cold war. American participants in the opening of Central Asia have not previously received much attention, but Tournament of Shadows introduces adventurers such as William Rockhill, commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution in the 1880s to explore Tibet, and William McGovern, who, to the chagrin of the British, reached Lhasa in 1923. The wealth and instability of Central Asia continue to keep the region in the headlines, motivating the Soviet Union's disastrous 10-year intervention in Afghanistan and fueling an international race for resources--especially oil--today. --John Stevenson
Book Description
"Much more than a magisterial work of scholarship: it is an absorbing inquiry into men and motives that is one part le CarrŽ, one part Indiana Jones." (Jason Goodwin, New York Times Book Review) From the romantic conflicts of the Victorian Great Game to the war-torn history of the region in recent decades, Tournament of Shadows traces the struggle for control of Central Asia and Tibet from the 1830s to the present. The original Great Game, the clandestine struggle between Russia and Britain for mastery of Central Asia, has long been regarded as one of the greatest geopolitical conflicts in history. Many believed that control of the vast Eurasian heartland was the key to world dominion. The original Great Game ended with the Russian Revolution, but the geopolitical struggles in Central Asia continue to the present day. In this updated edition, the authors reflect on Central Asia's history since the end of the Russo-Afghan war, and particularly in the wake of 9/11.
"Well-written and fair-minded.... The sheer sweep of the contest, its imperial scale and its exhilaration, are admirably conveyed." (New York Review of Books)
"Tournament of Shadows teems with highly readable, half-forgotten yet fascinating incidents.... [An] absorbing chronicle of almost two centuries of geopolitical turmoil in Central Asia." (Boston Globe)
Customer Reviews:
Sweeping, Very Readable History.......2007-04-30
The Redux of History - When everyone is dead, the Great Game is finished. Not Before - is neatly summed up in the introduction to this excellent and sweeping history of Central Asia.
This work is well written,highly readable and sweeping in its coverage. It is a story of "preclusive security" as the players struggle for control of buffer states; and ,it is also a story of "Pre-emptive strategy" as the players attempt to control the chess board of this Great Game.
There are lessons to be learned from this book. If one explores this book from the perspective of lessons in "Counterinsurgency",one of the most glaring is the political and military miscalculation of your enemy and not understanding the type of enemy that you are fighting. There is also the failure to fully understand the consequences of your decisions and the resulting "Blow-back" from a failed decision making process.
The book does begin to slow down a bit around Chapter Eighteen but is still worth the time and effort.
I highly recommend this book.
Dr. Terry Tucker
Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan
Amazing Stories, Hard Reading.......2007-03-30
If you are an admirer of the great explorers, adventurers and opportunists of old you will enjoy the accounts given of this fascinating time and place in history. Meyer and Brysac explain, "The players in the Great Game were men of action, not reflection." It is precisely this reality that made this particular dot on the map of history so intriguing. Each chapter tells short stories of various characters in "The Great Game," ie the furious race for land, glory, and empire in Central Asia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. From William Moorecroft's five year journey to the mysterious city of Bokhara to secret meetings with the Dalai Lama conducted by the spies of various nations, the average reader will walk away from this book with a much greater understanding of the roots of the present day turbulence in the regions of Afghanistan and its neighbors. Though exciting reading, this book has its dry spells which can sometimes be hard to get through. At various points I had to read something else to let my mind rest. For the most part this book paints an amazing picture of real men and their ambitions, secrets and fatal flaws, just be ready to put in some work in order to sift through pages of historical detail in order to find the true gems.
A survey with hopes as large as some of the explorers it portrays.......2007-02-28
In a sentence I would recommend this book only as a gateway into Central Asia and much of its history.
You will find names of people and their published accounts, events and journeys that you can then look up on your own and gain a greater understanding.
This ambitious work introduces some 500 odd proper nouns of people and places, rarely devoting more than a few paragraphs to each person or event. Often people are mentioned and disappear in the next sentence, leading me to reread certain passages more than once. In that sense it is difficult to follow. I would not say that the book is "well-written" or "very readable" as some of the blurbs say, although the prose is understandable it sometimes resembles an excited youth telling a story as fast as he can just to show what he knows.
That being said the book actually is very informative and brings light to many events and people long forgotten, using sources and quotations you would otherwise probably never learn of. Much of its appreciation comes from parallels to current day operations in Afghanistan, which are not much unlike British attempts to subdue the country during the First and Second Afghan Wars.
Throwing around names and places Meyer succeeds in sketching some broad strokes of the Great Game, and thus introducing the reader to it, but don't expect to remember more than a few names.
Disapointing book about a great topic.......2006-12-15
This book is a valiant attempt to cover an interesting topic but in the end it just comes up short. It is very badly written and the prose is so academic that it does not even hold a candle to other books on the subject. (see any of Peter Hopkirk books). The book goes into voluminous detail that the only advantage is you get it in one book instead of five smaller ones. Overall though I would recommend you go with the five smaller ones which give you more detail and a better written story. Meyer just could not pull it off on this one which is unfortunate for such an interesting topic.
a must read.......2006-08-16
if you want to get a little background about the central asia (afghanistan, pakistan, india etc) read this book. the authors let you draw your own lessons for the current era. but please look for the march 2006 reissue. the introduction and prologue update the 1999 version and add some context for your consideration of the roots of the current middle east crisis
Average customer rating:
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Shadow and Sound: The Historical Thought of a Sumatran People
James Siegel
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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ASIN: 0226756904 |
Book Description
No nation is more critical to United States foreign policy than Pakistan. Wedged between India and Afghanistan, it is the second-largest country in the Islamic world, and is situated in one of the world's most volatile regions. It has also assumed a commanding role in militant Islam--a frightening portent being its embrace of Afghanistan's bizarre fundamentalist student militia, the Taliban. With a dozen or so private Islamist armies and some thirty to fifty nuclear weapons, it is considered one of the most frightening places on earth. Its disintegration would pose an unthinkable threat to the United States and the West, but the man who will determine Pakistan's future course is the little-known and enigmatic General Pervez Musharraf.
Mary Anne Weaver presents her personal journey through a country in turmoil, reconstructing, largely in the voices of the key participants themselves--Generals Musharraf and Zia, and Benazir Bhutto--the legacies now haunting Pakistan in the aftermath of the U.S.-sponsored jihad of the 1980s in Afghanistan. Fusing geopolitical choices with a vivid portrait of a land--of its people, its mystery, and its clans--Pakistan: In the Shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan provides an essential background for those seeking to understand the problems the international community now faces, and poses some deeply disturbing questions about the future of conflict in South Asia.
Customer Reviews:
Considers its pivotal role in world politics.......2004-03-04
Pakistan is both a terrorist haven, a den of corruption, and the probable battlefront of Islamic terrorists. This report considers its pivotal role in world politics, blending a history of the country through two decades of eyewitness reporting with portraits of its leaders. Pakistan In The Shadow Of Jihad And Afghanistan is an excellent source for any seeking an understanding of the history and politics of modern Pakistan.
Wonderful Introduction based on experience.......2003-12-29
Much has been written about Pakistan since September 11th. But as Ms. Weaver points out in her wonderful book about the only Islamic Republic in the world, much harm could have been avoided if only we were more aware of this country and its problems BEFORE the terrorist attacks. Weaver's experiences as a journalist in this country form the basis and the strength of this book. Having covered this country for two decades, she provides a depth of experience in tracing the recent social and political ills of this nation. Her basic thesis is simple and seems chillingly accurate given current events. She convincingly states the case that U.S. foreign policy set up the country for much of its woes by at first supporting Islamic violent jihad in Afghanistan in the 80's, then abandoning the country completely after the Soviets withdrew and the Cold War ended. While it would be unfair not to assign some responsibility for their current predicament on the Pakistanis themselves, especially their failure to achieve economic growth and political stability, Ms. Weaver's writings on how the situation in Afghanistan destabilized Pakistan to the point where it is now practically as ungovernable as its neighbor is well taken.
Of course, other nations in the region can share the blame for this as well. The chapters on rich Gulf Arab states and the conflict with India in Kashmir are particularly revealing to see how this country has been neglected by other muslim nations and neglected by the United Nations which has been horribly inept in dealing with Kashmir problem. (One can make a convincing argument that Kashmir is the U.N's greatest failure, but that's for another book). Also, the chapter on the Saudi Bird Hunting parties should be read by anyone with an interest in the Middle East.
I heartily recommend this book for anyone traveling to Pakistan, and wishes to learn a bit about this country prior to their visit. It's very well written and succinct. Overall an excellent read.
up close and personal.......2003-07-11
Up close and personal -- terrific intro to the country.
up close and personal.......2003-07-11
Up close and personal -- terrific intro to the country.
A failed state with nuclear weapons........2003-04-18
An excellent account of what may be the insurmountable challenges facing Pakistan today. Rife with sectarian and ethnic conflict, a stagnant economy, a political leadership that may have moments of tactical insight but gross strategic stupidity, Pakistan may well be the world's next failed state... assuming it isn't already. Adding nuclear weapons to this combustible mix is a recipe for unmitigated catastrophe -- think a nuclear 9/11 in each of Haifa, Chicago and Chennai.... and perhaps in Tokyo and Seoul via North Korea.
With an intimate portrayal of General Musharraf's quirks and obsessions (e.g., choosing to risk the death of elementary school children rather than land his plane in India), Weaver gives credibility to her claim to understand Pakistan. Additionally, unlike other writers (e.g., Eric Margolis) she 1) doesn't make false pretentions in commenting on neighboring countries without ever having been there or only knowing them cursorily, or 2) fall for romantic notions of jihad. A hard-headed realistic book.
The quibbles I have with this book are minor, but they add up. For example, Weaver's excessive focus on the politics of Islamicization versus the demographics. A chapter could be easily devoted to the literal annihilation of the 30% Hindu minority that existed at the time of partition, and to the current effects of Shia-Sunni strife. Additionally, a chapter on Pakistani economic structure (e.g., the uneasy veneer of capitalistic modernity on what is largely a hidebound feudal society) would have been helpful in understanding the motivations of the principal characters, and would better explain why the madrassas can produce so much in the way of cannon fodder even with the massive Saudi funding of jihadist education which she documents well.
All in all, however, 4 stars.
Product Description
Tradition vs. Progress "Asia. The East. A land of contrasts, from glittering megacorp skyscrapers to humble sacred temples. Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong set the world's accelerated pace of progress, but next door in Indochina and Indonesia it's still last century. It's a mystery to most, but if you know your drek, youll find it's a land of opportunity. Anything you want is here. Cred. Gear. Flesh. Hell, I even heard of a guy finding Enlightement. Theres always a price, of course, whether it's selling your soul to the corps of your sister to the slave trade." Shadows of Asia provides information on each country in Asia, from the internal strife of the Middle East to the enlightened new Japan, from the struggle for power in Russia to the war-torn jungles of Indochina. The important underworld figures, corps, crime outfits and political leaders for each nation are described, along with maps and details on the unique outlook of Asian magical traditions. For use with the Shadowrun roleplaying game.
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