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BLOGGING THE FORGOTTEN WAR. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you crossed Wonkette with the website of the Council on Foreign Relations? Neither had I until this morning, when a friend alerted me to the blog Afghanistanica, which combines cheeky, Gawker-like prose with deep, on-the-ground knowledge about what is happening in America's forgotten war. How can you not love a blog that includes such items as "Malalai Joya Can Has Cheezburger?" and "Khareji Gone Wild! Drunk Americans Louts and Frisky British Tomcats Paint Kabul Red"? Or book-promoting efforts like this one?
Have you ever been involved in a conversation or debate about the role of Pakistan in Afghanistan and not been able to add anything beyond agreeing that Pakistan is a continuing source for extremism? Do you wish you could throw around terms like Lashkar-i-Taiba and Lashkar-i-Jangvi? Have you ever wanted to tell someone the difference between Jami'at-i-Ulema-i-Islam and Jami'at-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan?It's a most excellent addition to the bookmarks; I particularly enjoyed the shots of soldiers in the item on vacationing in Nuristan.Probably not. But if you have any desire to do the above mentioned things then a book titled Islamist Networks: The Afghan-Pakistan Connection is for you....
After reading this book you can be the cool guy in the political conversation who says something esoteric like "No, you don't understand. Pakistan must reign in those aggressive elements in Muttahida Majlis-i Amal."
--Garance Franke-Ruta
