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EARLY NEWS RELEASE OMNI AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN BOOK FORUM NOV. 6, 2009, NIGHTBIRD BOOKS, 6PM PANELISTS (two more invited) Jesse Barr: Edrene McKay: Chayes, The Punishment of Virtue BOOKS (send Dick your other significant recent books) --Ali, Tariq. The Duel. Simon & Schuster, 2008. Ahmed Rashid (below) and Ali’s books were Rev. In These Times (Dec. 2008): Rashid and Ali’s books on US forays into South and Central Asia depict the US as not only “incompetent and ill-informed” but as “a vicious nation” that bombs Afghanistan and Pakistan and is complicit in their repression of their populations. Rashid gives “a naked view of American power at work. It mobilizes…in order to further its own interests, not those of Afghans or Pakistanis pining for democracy.” The Duel “serves as an excellent corollary.” --Bick, Barara. Walking the Precipice. Witness to the Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rev. by Susan Yanow: This book does an excellent job of explaining the complicated history and factional rivalries that have shaped Afghanistan, through the lens of the author's first-person experiences traveling in that country over a period of 15 years. Bick was in Afghanistan on Sept. 11, 2001, and gives a unique perspective on the impact of that attack and its aftermath on the people of Afghanistan. The book, informed by Bick's deep history in the feminist and peace movements, also focuses on the historic human rights struggles of women in Afghanistan. The book is invaluable to understanding the challenges faced in shaping future foreign relations with Afghanistan and understanding the complexities of its society. In addition to being extremely informative, it is a great read! Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 Chayes, Sarah The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban. Afghanistan_policy_action_plan_0109-Chayes.pdf See her essay in OMNI NEWSLETTER ON AFGHANISTAN #3. --Dorronsoro, Gilles. Revolution Unending: Afghanistan 1979 to the Present. On Amy’s DN: He would reinforce Kabul and seek trust of Afghan people through development. --Duggan, Sean. Sustainable Security in Afghanistan. --Gould, Elizabeth and Paul Fitzgerald. Invisible History: Afghanistan’s Untold Story. Official US history of Afghan. and as reported by mainstream media (esp. by Dan Rather) are erroneous. Sovietphobic US created the present quagmire during the 1970s and 80s by arming the Afghans (including bin Laden) to expel the Soviets, replacing the developing progressive government with mujahedin medievalists. Then civil war ensued, and the Taliban moved into power. --Greenwald, Robert. Rethink Afghanistan. www.rethinkingafghanistan.com -- Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz. Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations. Haymarket Books, 2008. Rev. Win Magazine (Winter 2009). Some categories: The Costs of War at Home, Rules of Engagement, Racism and the Dehumanization of the Enemy, Divide and Conquer: Gender and Sexuality in the Military. --Johnson, Chris. Afghanistan: The Mirage of Peace. --Kolhatkar, Sonali, and James Ingalls. Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence. 2006. I have just finished this book, and I will guess that if only a minority of people in the US had read this book, we would be out of Afghanistan by now. The key is knowledge of Afghan history. Kolhatkar interv. DN: Afghanistan now ruled by 3 contesting warlords: 1) USA super-warlord, 2) Regional warlords—Northern Alliance under Dostum, etc., 3) Taliban. Karzai’s corruption runs deep: he recently joined with Northern Alliance warlord Dostum for his election support, and he signed a Shiite bill to legalize marital rape to gain male support. Kolhatkar is the Founder and Co-Director of the Afghan Women’s Mission. Rashid, Ahmed. Descent Into Chaos. Viking, 2008. (from Joel, seconded by Ted): “Ahmad Rashid is #1 to start with. He'll be familiar to NPR, Democ Now listeners. Tariq Ali also, and there's a great tape of him at UCLA (or UC-Berkeley) on Youtube. Of course AR and Rashid trace all this back to the Afghani Jihad..”) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED (Dick Bennett, 442-4600} Coordinator: Moderator: Greeter: Publicity Campaign (using Dick’s Guide): Photos: Video: Flyer and Poster: Distribution of Flyer and Poster: News Release (traditional): News Release (electronic): |