What Are You Currently Reading? 2009

[Jedburgh]

....And last but not least M. R. Izady, The Kurds: A Consise Handbook (1992)....

Izady's book is significantly flawed. Not to say that there isn't some content of value in there, but the author's substantive bias coupled with his ambitious scope resulted in a book that isn't exactly the most accurate reference piece on the Kurds. Much like how those Complete Idiot's Guide to....books tend to be exactly that.

If you wish to learn about the Kurds, a much better broad overview is David McDowell's A Modern History of the Kurds. With regard to socio-cultural dynamics, Agha, Shaikh and State: The Social and Political Structures of Kurdistan by Martin van Bruinessen is very highly recommended.

[Tukhachevskii]

If you wish to learn about the Kurds, a much better broad overview is David McDowell's A Modern History of the Kurds. With regard to socio-cultural dynamics, Agha, Shaikh and State: The Social and Political Structures of Kurdistan by Martin van Bruinessen is very highly recommended.

Thanks for the heads up! I actually found much of what you said to be quite true having read through some of the chapters that interested me which contradicted much of what I had learnt at Uni. However, some of the maps, lists and bibliography are quite good. Nonetheless, I luckily didn't buy it. Thanks for the tip.

[Tukhachevskii]

Chaps, I awoke this morning from a disturbed sleep. As I walked down my street with Windsor Castle off in the distance I saw my street, my town, my locale with different eyes. Where, I thought to myself, would I retreat to if I were faced with swarming zombies. You see, I read the whole of Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History last night. I don't recall if its been mentioned before by the SWS (Small Wars Sages) but if it hasn't it certainly should.

[Zack]

Chaps, I awoke this morning from a disturbed sleep. As I walked down my street with Windsor Castle off in the distance I saw my street, my town, my locale with different eyes. Where, I thought to myself, would I retreat to if I were faced with swarming zombies. You see, I read the whole of Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History last night. I don't recall if its been mentioned before by the SWS (Small Wars Sages) but if it hasn't it certainly should.

World War Z was awesome. I haven't read any of Brooks' other stuff, but I hear it is good as well. Suffice to say I am rather glad the zombie apocalypse hasn't occurred yet. A big plus for this book was that it was mostly militarily accurate (at least as I remember it), so it won't annoy you for that reason at least.

[MikeF]

I'm about halfway through Greg Mortenson's Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For practisioners, this book is more important than 3 Cups of Tea. He's explaining his operational concept and how he is hoping to integrate/nest with the American military/state and NGOs in Afghanistan.

His plan is the opposite of our current structure. He's using the ink spots theory building in the hinterlands (denied areas) first and working back towards civilization.

The thing that struck me initially was his map. He has built a high school in Nuristan Province. This province is the same place where two American patrol bases suffered serious casualties and abandoned during the last 15 months. The question that boggles my mind is how can one middle-aged white American dude accomplish more than American infantry battalions in some of the worst areas of the world?

I think the answer derives from some of the other grassroots reporting (Jim Gant for one). In small wars, sometimes less is more.

My favorite quote so far- A "message" that speaks volumes. I can only hope there are others in the region secretly cheering us on!

Another popular source of diversion involves booting up our solar-powered labtop with SatLink capability and watching YouTube videos of firefights between the US military and the Taliban. The hands-down favorite features a militant crying Allah Akbhar! (God is great!) while loading a mortar shell in backwards and accidentally blowing himself to pieces. Apo, a pious Sunni who detest religious extremism, is capable of watching the video ten or fifteen times in a row, cackling with glee each time the explosion takes place.

Mike

[Zack]

Just finished Silence Was A Weapon by Stuart Herrington and will likely begin Phoenix: Birds of Prey by Mark Moyar, and Pacification by Richard Hunt tomorrow. Any other ones I should definitely read on pacification in Vietnam? I'm preparing a paper for the 2010 APSA conference (assuming my proposal gets accepted) on military transformation.

[J Wolfsberger]

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson. He does an excellent job of presenting the complexity of the politics. One aspect of the conflict I intend to dig further into is insurgents/partisans.

[Dr. C]

I'm about halfway through Greg Mortenson's Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For practisioners, this book is more important than 3 Cups of Tea. He's explaining his operational concept and how he is hoping to integrate/nest with the American military/state and NGOs in Afghanistan.

Mike

I am reading Stones into Schools. I like Mortenson's first-person narrative style of writing in this book better than in Three Cups of Tea.

I attended his presentation 12/17, last Thursday, in Kansas City. I updated my posting in the SWJ thread about the presentation.

[Xenophon]

Finally reading the Accidental Guerrilla. I put it off in the anticipation of getting a Kindle, which I received on Thursday. When I tire of Killcullen, I switch to the Complete Sherlock Holmes collection.