BOOK REVIEW: A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice
By Malalai Joya, with Derrick O'Keefe, Scribner, Hardcover, 2009, 231 Pages, $25
If President Barack Obama is truly interested in solving the mess in Afghanistan, he doesn't have to listen to generals. He doesn't need to read white papers or intelligence reports. He doesn't even need to consult with diplomats and foreign leaders. All he needs to do to understand what is going wrong in that country is pick up a copy of Malalai Joya's book, "A Woman Among Warlords."
"Warlords" is an inspiring personal account of the author's own struggle for justice and equal rights in a land ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, a struggle that has resulted in no less than five assassination attempts against her by those she has confronted with her honest words. More than a mere biography, Joya's brutally honest and direct analysis of what is wrong in Afghanistan -- and more importantly what should be done to fix it -- has the legitimacy of one who has lived in the country and seen the problems first hand. It is the very perspective that the President and other western leaders should be including in policy decisions toward that war-torn country.
Often compared with Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the author's personal narrative is a true profile in courage. After being raised in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan, Joya returned to her native country while it was still under Taliban rule. As a young woman, her memories of those times are sobering: "The Taliban sent bands of men out to enforce their rules, and if we saw them around or thought they might be coming to do a search of our home, we would hide our books and our writings. One time I even burned two notebooks full of my personal memories because I was afraid they would be found when our house was searched."
Despite the harsh realities of Taliban rule, Joya managed to start a school for children, ironically transporting illegal textbooks by hiding them under her burqa. After 9/11, the subsequent invasion by United States and NATO forces chased the Taliban and al Qaeda across the border into Pakistan. Joya and her fellow Afghanis were horrified with the resulting chaos. "While most people in Farah were pleased to see the flight of the Taliban, they were not at all happy with what emerged to fill the power vacuum. The warlords, many of whom had been run out of the country, came back to plunder the ruins."
Despite corruption and lawlessness, Joya managed to start a clinic and an orphanage in her district. She then ran for and was elected as representative to the Loya Jirga or tribal council that would be responsible for forming Afghanistan's new government. It was there she achieved national and international fame by standing up in public to state what everyone knew but were afraid to say: "Many warlords and criminals have been given positions of great power at the Loya Jirga ... we must continue to work to demand that these warlords be removed from top positions, and be held accountable for their crimes."
As she tells her story, Joya reiterates this point again and again that the true dangers to peace and security in Afghanistan are not al Qaeda or even the Taliban. Instead, real threats to democracy lie in the powerful and corrupt men who are currently ruling the country. "Today, warlords and drug lords control vast swaths of Afghanistan ... many warlords still run private armies and militias that are much better organized and more powerful than the Afghan National Army."
It is hard to overestimate the strength Joya has displayed by writing this book. Standing up as a lone voice in hostile surroundings takes guts. Calling out thugs and murderers in public, particularly in a lawless land where women are often treated with less respect than livestock, takes more than courage. It takes an unwavering moral sense of purpose that few can muster. That Joya continues to voice the truth, even in the face of death threats and assassination attempts, gives added weight to her words: "As long as these warlords and thugs remain part of the government -- while retaining the ability to terrorize with their private militias -- there will be no solution to Afghanistan's crisis."
"A Woman Among Warlords" is a book that will appeal to a broad range of people. Feminists and social activists will be inspired by her story. Lovers of biography will delight in a fascinating portrait of a courageous individual who continues to battle great odds to get her message out. Historians and policy wonks will be interested to read an account of Afghanistan's history and current government by one who has actually stood up and spoken at a Loya Jirga.
And President Obama? Well, let's just say he could benefit greatly from having this book on his nightstand.
Perhaps I'll buy him a copy for Christmas.