{"product_id":"soldiers-of-god-isbn-9781400030255","title":"Soldiers of God","description":"First time in paperback, with a new Introduction and final chapter \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorld affairs expert and intrepid travel journalist Robert D. Kaplan braved the dangers of war-ravaged Afghanistan in the 1980s, living among the mujahidin—the “soldiers of god”—whose unwavering devotion to Islam fueled their mission to oust the formidable Soviet invaders. In \u003cb\u003eSoldiers of God\u003c\/b\u003e we follow Kaplan’s extraordinary journey and learn how the thwarted Soviet invasion gave rise to the ruthless Taliban and the defining international conflagration of the twenty-first century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKaplan returns a decade later and brings to life a lawless frontier. What he reveals is astonishing: teeming refugee camps on the deeply contentious Pakistan-Afghanistan border; a war front that combines primitive fighters with the most technologically advanced weapons known to man; rigorous Islamic indoctrination academies; a land of minefields plagued by drought, fierce tribalism, insurmountable ethnic and religious divisions, an abysmal literacy rate, and legions of war orphans who seek stability in military brotherhood. Traveling alongside Islamic guerrilla fighters, sharing their food, observing their piety in the face of deprivation, and witnessing their determination, Kaplan offers a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of a people and a country that are at the center of world events.“Robert Kaplan [is] a scholarly and adventurous journalist. . . . He draws attention to long-term trends that other writers have little noted.”  —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eSoldiers of God\u003c\/b\u003e is a thoughtful, insightful, highly readable book. Battlefield smart, rock solid.” —Dan Rather\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Affecting and informative. . . . [Kaplan] answer[s] a number of important political questions.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] first-rate account. . . . [Kaplan’s] combination of firsthand war experience inside Afghanistan and extensive reporting . . . makes him sensitive to distinctions that often escaped even devoted promoters of the muj[ahidin].” —\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert D. Kaplan\u003c\/b\u003e is the bestselling author of sixteen books on foreign affairs and travel translated into many languages, including \u003ci\u003eAsia’s Cauldron, The Revenge of Geography, Monsoon, The Coming Anarchy, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Balkan Ghosts\u003c\/i\u003e. He is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a contributing editor at \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic,\u003c\/i\u003e where his work has appeared for three decades. He was chief geopolitical analyst at Stratfor, a visiting professor at the United States Naval Academy, and a member of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board. \u003ci\u003eForeign Policy\u003c\/i\u003e magazine has twice named him one of the world’s Top 100 Global Thinkers.With a New Introduction and Final Chapter","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303682789605,"sku":"NP9781400030255","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781400030255.jpg?v=1767736883","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/soldiers-of-god-isbn-9781400030255","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}