This was the first of two books I read by American conservative journalist Robert Kaplan. It is far and away a superior piece of work than “Soldiers of God” his account of 1980s Afghanistan. Kaplan himself later admitted that he lost his senses of balance, such was his identification with the mujahadeen. His strong anti-communist beliefs coloured his view of the conflict in Afghanistan. His 1993 book “Balkan Ghosts” which examines another part of the “Evil Empire” is however much more nuanc...