Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Flickr  Google+  YouTube  Instagram

Afghanistan: a pre-deployment reading list

Written on: September 8th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

The Army recommends a substantial reading list to warfighters preparing to deploy to Afghanistan- it has published a list which includes dozens of books and online resources selected to give service members a deep understanding of the history and culture of Afghanistan and the role and tactics of Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

It’s an impressive list that anyone with an interest in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs would benefit from looking at.

The Delaware Library Catalog includes many of the core titles from the list:

• Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
• Jihad: the Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia
  Descent into Chaos

• Three Cups of Tea
• Afghanistan: A Short History of its People and Politics
• Afghanistan: a Military History
• The Soviet-Afghanistan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost
• Culture and Customs of Afghanistan
• Flashman (which is an entertaining Victorian romp, set during the British invasion of Afghanistan.)
• Savage Wars of Peace
• The Man Who Would be King: The First American in Afghanistan
• The Great Game: Struggle for Empire in Central Asia

The list also includes links to online resources and online retailers, such as MCDP1: Warfighting. The full pre-deployment reading list can be seen here (opens in a new window)

UPDATE: More military reading lists can be found at this link.