Synopses & Reviews
Afghanistan has been a strategic prize for foreign empires for more than 200 years. The British, Russians, and Americans have all fought across its beautiful and inhospitable terrain, in conflicts variously ruthless, misguided and bloody. This violent history is the subject of David Loyn's magisterial book. It is a history littered with misunderstandings and broken promises, in which the British, the Russians, and later the Americans, constantly underestimated the ability of the Afghans. In Afghanistan brilliantly brings to life the personalities involved in Afghanistan's relationship with the world, chronicling the misunderstandings and missed opportunities that have so often led to war. With 30 years experience as a foreign correspondent, David Loyn has had a front-row seat during Afghanistans recent history. In Afghanistan draws on David Loyn's unrivalled knowledge of the Taliban and the forces that prevail in Afghanistan, to provide the definitive analysis of the lessons these conflicts have for the present day.
Review
Praise for Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks who Changed the Face of War Reporting: "As impossible to put down as a top-notch thriller."--The Daily Mail
Review
Praise for
In Afghanistan: "The weight of the material that Loyn has gathered makes his book extremely valuable given our current circumstances." --
Publishers Weekly “Journalist Loyn dissects numerous misbegotten British, Russian, and US efforts to bend this not quite nation-state to serve their respective interests….[A] fluid analysis….Loyn's treatment is crucial to understanding the failure of Soviet and US military intervention in Afghanistan since 1979….Essential.”—Choice
“[There are] terrific -- and terrifying -- tales in this short, sharp book. . .In Afghanistan targets the educated general reader, but it could educate generals.”--New York Post Praise for Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks who Changed the Face of War Reporting: "As impossible to put down as a top-notch thriller."--The Daily Mail “[There are] terrific -- and terrifying -- tales in this short, sharp book. . .In Afghanistan targets the educated general reader, but it could educate generals.”-- New York Post
About the Author
David Loyn has been an award-winning foreign correspondent for 30 years for the BBC. He has reported from such places as Moscow, Kosovo, Delhi, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Iraq and Kabul. His book Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks who Changed the Face of War Reporting was shortlisted for the 2006 Orwell Prize. He is currently the BBC's developing world correspondent. He lives in London.