Rogers, Paul. A War on Terror: Afghanistan and After

Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), Fall, 2004

Rogers, Paul. A War on Terror: Afghanistan and After. London, U.K.: Pluto Press, 2004. Paper $24.95.

The book consists of short articles previously published in the Global Security column of Open Democracy, a "not-for-profit web journal," between October 2001 and December 2002. It is useful to read the articles with the benefit of hindsight to see how U.S. actions in Afghanistan (and the Middle East) unfolded over a short period of time in the pursuit of a unilateralist policy. Despite the fact that the articles at times arrived at incorrect conclusions, the strategic thrust of the analysis remains sound. An example would be the discussion whether the U.S. Administration is planning to invade Iraq. At first, the conclusion is that the invasion would not be agreed to. But in later articles it becomes evident that this is the direction that the U.S. is willing to go in. The articles also discuss U.S. policy towards Israel and the Palestinians; the failure of the "war on terror" in Afghanistan; and the complications that U.S. action created for the entire region.