John K. Cooley. Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America, and International Terrorism (Essay Sample)

Book Review
John K. Cooley. Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America, and International Terrorism
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Book Review
John K. Cooley. Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America, and International Terrorism
Sterling, VA: Pluto Press, 2000.
The book by Cooley narrates the course and consequences of a bizarre affiliation that disastrously went sour: the relationship between the United States of America and some conservative and fixated followers of Islam during the second half of the twentieth century. The author presents his analysis and onions authoritatively by stuffing every paragraph with historical data, dates and names of people. However, critics argue that the revelations of the book are manipulative in terms of language that puts together half-truths and repeated insinuations with conclusions that do not relate to evidence. Critics base their arguments on facts from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), statistics recorded in Commonwealth reports, FBI periodicals and US military facts. Nonetheless, the author manages to put forth a case of the historical events that resulted in the Second World War and later escalated tensions between America and the Muslim world. What is clear from the author’s revelations is the outright disapproval for Islam because he does not bring about a clear differentiation between the Muslim’s yearning for self-rule based on the Islamic beliefs and terrorism.
The author reveals that the CIA has repeatedly used Muslims to propagate America’s interests in the Middle East and northern Africa, which are considered strongholds of the conservative Muslim world. However, the CIA and other global intelligence agencies have been accused of bias and taking for granted the interests of the Muslims. Most of these intelligence agencies led by the CIA portray Muslims as untrustworthy imbeciles and ungrateful servants who lack a sense of humanity in most of their undertakings, especially with the west. The author even provides names of people portrayed as untrustworthy that include Tablighi Jamaat, Jamaat Islami, Maududi of Pakistan, and Hassan al-Turabi of Sudan. Data from the CIA indicates that they are considered dangerous extremists whose main agenda is to plan attacks against western countries. In another twist of events, the author lacks justification for America’s attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq because he considers them justified and unquestionable while branding any attack on Americans with emotional language. He only criticizes Americans for not trusting Muslims their allies.
In the introduction, the author writes that the west must change its notion on Islam. However, the entire book contradicts this notion by referring to Islam’s resurgence in Muslim countries as a disease that must be quelled and nipped in the bud before it infects the entire world. The author proposes that any Islamic political parties must be suppressed and outlawed before they can ascend to power and that Islam must be restricted to a cultural ritual while the power of national resources in Muslim countries remains under the control of western powers. This is a skewed opinion according to most critics because it does not cover both sides of the coin as far as the Islam resurgence is concerned. In an interesting revelation, the author reveals that an ideal Muslim is one who puts the interests of Americans and Israelis’ above those of his/her own people.
In chapter one, “Carter and Brezhnev in the Valley of Decision”, the author looks at historical facts of 1979 that resulted in the conversion of the American aid to Islamists. Apparently, this conflict was ignited by the Soviet-American relationship and the invasion of Iraq by the Soviet Union. The authors note in this chapter that the political Islam is far from dead despite its weakening power and whether the Islam wins the war or not, the changing societal perception remains unjustified to the rest of the world.
In chapter two, “Anwar al-Sadat”, the author discusses the precarious role of Egypt in propagating the spread of jihad. The author reveals that Egypt acts in a bipartisan manner by pretending to be an ally of Israel and the US while at the same time recruiting members for the jihad war in Afghanistan. The author uses CIA statistics to point out the name of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman as the major player in the recruitment process. Apparently, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman was later imprisoned for life in a New York federal prison.
Chapter three, “Zia al-Haq” discusses the role of Pakistan as an alleged ally of the United States in enhancing and hiding afghan fighters. The author looks into the enthusiastic collaboration between America and Pakistan and labels it as a forged alliance in mistrust. However, what the war planner failed to take precaution was the fact that the boom in international drug trafficking would later destabilize the region and make it difficult for the war.
Chapter four shifts focus to china Muslims terrorist whom the United States uses to keep an eye on the Soviet Union’s missile tests and communications. The chapter titled, “Deng Xiaoping” also reveals that the CIA used the Chinese Muslim terrorists to investigate the China’s arming and training of volunteers to fight in the Afghanistan war. These fighters would later come back to demand independence from china. The author heavily relies on CIA facts to make an assertive conclusion and discussion on the role of china in helping recruit, train and arm fighters.
In chapter five, “Recruiters, Trainers, Trainees and Assorted Spooks,” the author discusses the intricate ties flanked by western intelligence agencies led by the CIA, the spying projects against the Soviet Union and the Third-world puppet dictators. Building bases for successful spying against the Soviet Union were done by Islamic missionary organizations because they depicted a higher level of corporation. For that reason, western intelligences exploited this opportunity to their advantage.
Chapter 6, “Donors, Bankers and Profiteers”, heavily relies on statistics and information from CIA special files containing the names of the afghan financiers. The author puts forward serious allegations contained in an intelligence report compiled by the CIA regarding the financiers of jihad and other international terrorism activities. The author identifies Saudi Arabia, Pakistan as the major financing countries Osama bin Laden as the leading individual financier. The major sources of financing contained in this chapter include international drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and bank robberies across the world.
Chapter 7 turns attention to drug lords and the contradictory situation America finds itself in terms of undermining its own war on drugs. The author reveals how the CIA neglected the role of tracking drug traffickers from central Asia even after the Drug Enforcement Administration spent billions of dollars trying to destroy the wave of narcotics. The chapter reveals the process of turning opium into heroin and smuggling it through central Asia. America, on the other hand, used drug lords in the region to secure its interests, but later prosecuted and imprisoned them after achieving its mission.
Chapter 8 looks into Russia’s resistance against Islam spread in the neighboring Tajikistan and Azerbaijan amid fears that the independence of Muslims in these countries would weaken Central Asia...