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A Million Bullets: The Real Story of the War in Afghanistan
by: James Fergusson

List Price: £16.99

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Used Price: £10.49
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780593059029
ISBN: 0593059026
Label: Bantam Press
Manufacturer: Bantam Press
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: June 02, 2008
Publisher: Bantam Press
Studio: Bantam Press
Sales Rank: 31194

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Courageous, stimulating
This book is courageous in more ways than one. First and foremost, the author has exposed himself to danger in researching his story, which is something that deserves the reader's respect. Second, he hasn't made black and white judgements on either side of the conflict. This might upset the Daily Mail (especially JF's effort to understand the motives of the Taliban), but at heart it is an intelligent approach that assumes the reader can make his/her own mind up (or try to). It is a rare example of honest and old-fashioned rapportage that does not offer prescriptions but informs the prescriptive process. Like many of us, JF has huge sympathy for the professional soldier and somewhat less for the motives and actions of the politicians who deploy ... Read More:

Rating:

- Investigative writing at its best
I don't know much about the politics of war but having read this book I feel that I now have a pretty good inkling of what goes on - and it's not comforting. Perhaps most military adventures have always been conducted on a wing and a prayer but it's hard not to feel dismayed by the chances for real change and engagement that seem to have been thrown away, especially when the Taliban mention the fact that if somebody had tried diplomacy rather than dynamite, perhaps some kind of deal could have been struck - with better consequences for everybody. After all, it's hard to imagine worse consequences than those yielded by the gung-ho method so far. Brilliantly written, constantly engaging, this book also proves that the writer is not just a man of ... Read More:

Rating:

- Insightful
James Ferguson examines the experiences of a variety of Units from within the UK Armed Forces taking part in the military campaign in Afghanistan, making extensive use of first hand accounts from serving and ex-service personnel. Their testimonies underline the courage, ingenuity and resilience demonstrated on a daily basis by our troops in action on Operation Herrick.

The political aspects of the conflict are also discussed, the lack of a coherent long term plan and the apparent lack of progress in the re-development of the infrastucture in Afghanistan highlight some of the difficulties facing soldiers trying to win 'hearts and minds' on the ground.

The impact on troops encumbered by old or inappropriate equipment, the ... Read More:

Rating:

- Biased and opinionated
This book doesn't do what it says on the cover. "The Real Story of the war in Afghanistan" its says on the cover. No, rather it is the story of the author's decision to write about the war - the over long prologue tells the story of one of his friends who was in the military in afghanistan and how his disillusionment pushed him to look further into the situation - what he found out and his opinion of it all. This is peppered with a selection of tales from soldiers involved in the fighting but if you are looking for "the story of the war" then i'd go elsewhere.

Rating:

- Muddling Through
James Fergusson has set out to cover a number of tangential matters than combine to point out the lack of a coherence and reality to NATO policy in Afghanistan, especially as this is applied by the British Army.

He tends to travel in the backwaters. Instead of the much rated 3 Para he visits the Ghurkhas and Royal Fusiliers from the 3 Para Battlegroup shut away in some unsupported location getting shot at by the Taleban and unable to perform their mission of reconstruction.

He examines the practical difficulties of a small force of military professionals trying to bring peace to an area by bringing war. The difficulties of persuading the locals that the corrupt and brutal police and Afghan Army are to be supported are laid ... Read More:

Books : A Million Bullets: The Real Story of the War in Afghanistan