Koran, Kalashnikov and Laptop

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Free of stereotypes - Rated
Giustozzi has written a very dry, factual book on the nature of the Taliban's return to Afghanistan after the Northern Alliance's victory. It is solid non-partisan reportage in which he looks at the Taliban's strengths, weakness, mistakes and successes. So often nowadays recent history is portrayed as a struggle between demons and angels, between the clever and the foolish; this book makes it clear both sides (and all the third parties) are learning as they are going. All of his analysis resonated with the views of the authors of the "fighting books" on topics like the Brits in Helmand.

The book is dry, it is more BBC4 than BBC1, and this will mean some readers will find it less entertaining but it is well worth, I think, understanding the three dimensional nature of the opposing party.

Excellent, a must read book - Rated
Despite Antonio Giustozzi doesn't enjoy yet the worldwide reputation he certainly deserves, his detailed analisys about the insurgency under way in Afghanistan is an invaluable asset to recommend to everybody interested in understanding dynamics at play in that unlucky Central Asian Country: academics as well as military or diplomats. Many maps add this book further value. In my opinion, a must be read! Germano Dottori