Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism
John K Cooley
Penguin Books
Rs 295/280 pages
Books on current affairs always run the danger of being overtaken by events. Unholy Wars is no exception. It was published in 1999, soon after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, updated in 2000 and reissued by Penguin in India in 2001. Much turmoil and tragedy has followed since then, 9/11 being the most potent of symbol of both, and saturation media coverage has robbed this book of much of its punch.
This shortcoming does not, however, make the book irrelevant. Even without 9/11, the book stands as a chilling testimony to the cynicism with which America pursued its self-interest and the
