Bleeding Afghanistan
Washington, Warlords and the Propaganda of Silence

by Sonali Kolhatkar and James Ingalls

Area: Political Analysis Publisher: Seven Stories Press published 09/2006 315 pages ISBN-13: 978-1-58322-731-2 ISBN-10: 1-58322-731-8

Paperback $18.95 (USA)

About the Book

In the years following 9/11, US policy in Afghanistan has received little scrutiny, either from the media or the public. Despite official claims of democracy and women’s freedom, Afghanistan has yet to emerge from the ashes of decades-long war. Through in-depth research and detailed historical context, Sonali Kolhatkar and James Ingalls report on the injustice of US policies in Afghanistan historically and in the post 9-11 era. Drawing from declassified government documents and on-the-ground interviews with Afghan activists, journalists, lawyers, refugees, and students, the book examines the connections between US training and arming of Mujahadeen commanders and the subversion of Afghan democracy, to the sad state of warlordism, women’s oppression, and poverty today. Bleeding Afghanistan boldly critiques the exploitation of Afghan women to justify war by both conservatives and liberals, analyzes uncritical media coverage of US policies, and examines the ways in which the US benefits from being in Afghanistan.

Sonali Kolhatkar and James Ingalls are the co-Directors of the Afghan Women’s Mission, a US-based non-profit organization that works with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). Their writings have appeared in Z Magazine, Foreign Policy in Focus, Alternet, Commondreams and Counterpunch. In February 2005, Kolhatkar and Ingalls traveled to Afghanistan to witness first-hand the results of US policy, and to understand how ordinary Afghans felt about the war. Sonali Kolhatkar is the host and producer of Uprising, a popular, daily, drive-time program on KPFK, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles and co-director of Afghan Women's Mission, a US-based non-profit organization that works with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). James Ingalls is a Staff Scientist at the Spitzer Science Center, at the California Institute of Technology.

Reviews

"Bleeding Afahanistan is without a doubt the most realistic and sincere reflection of the ongoing tragedy in my ill fated Afghanistan. It covers every aspect of life under the domination of the U.S. and its fundamentalist criminal and warlord hirelings, breaking the silence on its many hidden agendas. The book is a crystal clear window on the events in Afghanistan over the past three decades and especially the past few years. By uncovering the core problems of the Afghan people and the true nature of its enemies, the writers prove to be true friends."
Malalai Joya, member of the Afghan Parliament

"This is not The Bookseller of Kabul or The Kite Runner. It is not for latte drinking liberals who want to save exotic Afghan women or men. It's about what America is really doing today in Afghanistan after the Taliban was ousted, and what we did before."
Pratap Chatterjee, author of Iraq, Inc.: A Profitable Occupation

"Sonali Kolhatkar and Jim Ingalls were writing about Afghanistan before it was cool and have continued to do so after it has fallen off everyone's radar screen. Their long association with and deep concern for the Afghan people bear fruit in this book, which treats Afghanistan as a country and not as fodder for debating points. It has everything you need to know - the history of foreign intervention, the depredations of the warlords and the Taliban, the U.S. bombing, and the stultifying negligence of the occupation. It clearly gives the lie to the mythology of humanitarian intervention. The authors even have the guts to tackle the most difficult question of all what should be done now. A remarkable achievement."
Raul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond.

Book website

http://bleedingafghanistan.com/