An Intimate War tells the story of the last thirty-four years of conflict in Helmand Province, Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of the Helmandis. In the West, this period is often defined through different lenses
- the Soviet intervention, the civil war, the Taliban, & the post-2001 nation-building era. Yet, as experienced by local inhabitants, the Helmand conflict is a perennial one, involving the same individuals, families & groups, & driven by the same arguments over l&, water & power. This book
- based on both military & research experience in Helmand & 150 interviews in Pashto
- offers a very different view of Helmand from those in the media. It demonstrates how outsiders have most often misunderstood the ongoing struggle in Helmand & how, in doing so, they have exacerbated the conflict, perpetuated it & made it more violent
- precisely the opposite of what was intended when their interventions were launched. Mike Martin`s oral history of Helmand underscores the absolute imperative of understanding the highly local, personal, & non-ideological nature of internal conflict in much of the `third` world.