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Summary: The Roots of the Taliban
Review: Soldiers of God is a first-hand narrative of journalist Robert Kaplan's travels with the mujahadeen in Afghanistan during the waning days of the Soviet occupation. Set in the late 1980s, this book does not cover the more recent Taliban movement that will probably be of more immediate interest to most readers. However, Soldiers of God does impart a clear understanding of the background conditions that led to the rise of the Taliban and the influence of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
Soldiers of God is the story of a third-world nation that was brutalized by the Soviets, then manipulated and mismanaged by the Pakistani agents who were acting as U.S. surrogates. Kaplan explains how the United States entrusted the Zia and Bhutto regimes of Pakistan with most of the day-to-day details of the war. The result was the gradual encouragement of the militant Islamist elements that would eventually coalesce into the Taliban.
Tragically, Afghanistan was a comparatively minor sideshow in the Cold War. The country was difficult for journalists to enter, so the conflict was largely neglected by the American press; and Eastern Europe and Nicaragua were much higher on the list of U.S. priorities. Kaplan provides detailed accounts of Soviet atrocities which received little mainstream press attention at the time.
However, the most captivating aspect of the book is richness of the narrative itself. Part diary, part political commentary, Soldiers of God gives the reader a visceral sense of what it was like to live as a mujahadeen during the Soviet-Afghan conflict. Kaplan describes the miserable climate, maggot-infested food provisions, and the constant fear of Soviet mines with exacting detail.
Kaplan also gives us insights into the characters of the mujahadeen themselves. As a reader, I felt a mixture of contempt and admiration for the men who lives unfolded in this book. On one hand, the mujahadeen emerge as heroic underdogs fighting to free their country from a vastly superior Soviet military. On the other hand, Kaplan acknowledges many of the Afghan societal flaws which would later be amplified by the Taliban. We read about a country in which women have little or no rights, and religious laws have no secular counterbalance.
I have found few books on the Soviet-Afghan conflict; and I would guess that this one is among the best of the bunch.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb Account of a Forgotten War
Review: The title of Robert Kaplan's Soldiers of God made me pick this book up and buy it and I was not sure exactly what to expect from it. What I did not expect was a magnificent account of the mujahedeens' long battle against the Soviets, a clearer picture of the geography of Afghanistan, its relationship with Pakistan and the dark years of Soviet invasion.
Kaplan's description and stories about the Mujaheedeen commanders as well as warlords and pro-Soviet leaders of Afghanistan brings the reader into a tumultuous period of the country's past. His proximity and access to some of them makes me feel like I know something about them that readers of newspapers or articles on Afghanistan don't.
His trips into Afghanistan and how he crossed the tough terrain made me marvel. Anecdotes of fellow travellers, photographers, translators, and hosts of the camps where they stopped at pulled me further into this riveting book. Superb work by Kaplan, he shares with us the face of a war that many did not bother to cover.
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Summary: Uncommon Sense Look At Afghan Society and Politics
Review: This book is a superb analysis of Afghan politics during the Soviet war years. With an update for the current (post 9/11) situation, this is must read for all CIA-types as well as other serious students of South Asia politics. Mr. Kaplan has a dire warning for the west in his analysis of the future of Pakistan ala Yugoslavia. Read and understand - reality is not pleasent!I will buy other titles by Mr. Kaplan.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Insight
Review: This is a wonderfully written book. Gives a reader an understanding of the thoughts of the Mujahidin, the complex interweaving of tribal cultures and the social structure that makes them such fierce warriors. Provides an insight that the television media cannot come close to, especially the american television media.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing in Action
Review: Way to boring. No real descriptions of any combat action. Just like boring historical statistical stuff. Lots of Afghan tribal stories, why they can't get along we may never know. If you want some edge of your seat and can't put it down action, skip this one.
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Summary: Assumes new importance in the face of recent events
Review: World affairs expert Robert Kaplan traveled to Afghanistan in the 1980s and lived among the ardent Islamic 'soldiers of god': Kaplan's Soldiers Of God assumes new importance in the face of recent events and includes a return a decade later to much-changed conditions. Any who would seek to understand Islamic warriors in the region should place this near the top of their reading lists. A new introduction and final chapters appears in this timely reprint.
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Summary: The book to read to understand Afghanistan
Review: You can watch 300 hours of CNN and not learn as much about what is occuring in Afghanistan as you would in 1 hour of reading this book. Even though it was written in the late 1980s it still rings true. Kaplan has an eye for detail and telling a story that makes the conflict real. The challenges that Kaplan pointed out in 1988 are the same ones our leaders are facing today. Well worth your time.
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