Embracing the Occupiers: Conversations with the Future Leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq (Praeger Security International)

208 Pages·2009·0.63 MB·English

by  Jeremy S. Block

EMBRACING THE OCCUPIERS
PraegerSecurityInternationalAdvisoryBoard
BoardCochairs
LochK.Johnson,RegentsProfessorofPublicandInternationalAffairs,Schoolof
PublicandInternationalAffairs,UniversityofGeorgia(U.S.A.)
PaulWilkinson,ProfessorofInternationalRelationsandChairmanoftheAdvisory
Board,CentrefortheStudyofTerrorismandPoliticalViolence,Universityof
St.Andrews(U.K.)
Members
AnthonyH.Cordesman,ArleighA.BurkeChairinStrategy,CenterforStrategic
andInternationalStudies(U.S.A.)
The´re`seDelpech,DirectorofStrategicAffairs,AtomicEnergyCommission,and
SeniorResearchFellow,CERI(FoundationNationaledesSciencesPolitiques),
Paris(France)
SirMichaelHoward,formerChicheleProfessoroftheHistoryofWarandRegis
ProfessorofModernHistory,OxfordUniversity,andRobertA.LovettProfessorof
MilitaryandNavalHistory,YaleUniversity(U.K.)
LieutenantGeneralClaudiaJ.Kennedy,USA(Ret.),formerDeputyChiefofStaff
forIntelligence,DepartmentoftheArmy(U.S.A.)
PaulM.Kennedy,J.RichardsonDilworthProfessorofHistoryandDirector,
InternationalSecurityStudies,YaleUniversity(U.S.A.)
RobertJ.O’Neill,formerChicheleProfessoroftheHistoryofWar,AllSouls
College,OxfordUniversity(Australia)
ShibleyTelhami,AnwarSadatChairforPeaceandDevelopment,Departmentof
GovernmentandPolitics,UniversityofMaryland(U.S.A.)
FareedZakaria,Editor,NewsweekInternational(U.S.A.)
EMBRACING THE
OCCUPIERS
Conversations with the Future Leaders of
Afghanistan and Iraq
Jeremy S. Block
PRAEGERSECURITYINTERNATIONAL
(cid:2)
Westport,Connecticut London
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Block,JeremyS.,1977–
Embracingtheoccupiers:conversationswiththefutureleadersofAfghanistan
andIraq/JeremyS.Block.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–313–36534–8(alk.paper)
1.Fulbrightscholars—Iraq—Interviews. 2.Fulbrightscholars—
Afghanistan—Interviews. 3.Iraq—Politicsandgovernment—2003–.
4.Afghanistan—Politicsandgovernment—2001–. 5.UnitedStates—Politicsand
government—2001– I.Title.
DS769.B56 2009
956.7044(cid:2)3—dc22 2008047532
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:3)C 2009byJeremyS.Block
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2008047532
ISBN:978–0–313–36534–8
Firstpublishedin2009
PraegerSecurityInternational,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to my late Pop Pop, Herman Block—a
man who loved people and their stories.
And to the millions upon millions of Afghans and Iraqis who
have been slaughtered, maimed, raped, tortured, exiled, and
never had a chance to share their stories.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 An American Setting 13
Chapter 2 Coming of Age in Afghanistan and Iraq 35
Chapter 3 Tales of Exile, Struggle, and Redemption 57
Chapter 4 You Say Occupation, I Say Liberation 83
Chapter 5 We Have Landed 109
Chapter 6 Islam, Culture, and the “War on Terror” 135
Chapter 7 After? 161
Epilogue 189
Index 193
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
No one has been more supportive in this endeavor than my fiance´
AfsiKhot.Icouldneverhavewadedthroughthepilesofrejection
letters with a smile on my face if she wasn’t there the whole time
smiling along with me. My editor, Timothy Furnish, has been
supportive of this project the entire time and, when not writing
about the mahdi or the caliphate, is one hell of a nice guy. I
would also like to thank all of the support staff at Greenwood
Press who have been very patient and attentive to all of my little
idiosyncratic requests. My parents, though skeptical when I told
themIwasquittingmyjobtowritethisbook,havealsobeenvery
supportive and I could never have completed this without them.
I would also like to thank the following people for their help
with edits—both grammar and substance wise. My aunt Judy
KatzwasextremelyhelpfulwithherinitialeditsandIhopeacopy
of this book will put a smile on her face. My good friend, Scott
Shanley, gave excellent advice on ways to make the characters
come to life—hopefully his own book will be published soon. My
friend and neighbor Mark Resnick seemed at times more enthusi-
astic than me about this project and helped in every way he could
with his connections. I would also like to thank Elly Weisenberg
for her initial help with giving my proposal a little life. My
friend Michael Auerbach gave me encouraging pearls of wisdom
on how to market this book. Terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen,