{"product_id":"a-slow-reckoning-the-ussr-the-afghan-communists-and-islam-hardcover","title":"A Slow Reckoning: The Ussr, the Afghan Communists, and Islam - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eVassily Klimentov\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Slow Reckoning \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eexamines the Soviet Union's and the Afghan communists' views of and policies toward Islam and Islamism during the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989).\u003c\/b\u003e As Vassily Klimentov demonstrates, the Soviet and communist Afghan disregard for Islam was telling of the overall communist approach to reforming Afghanistan and helps explain the failure of their modernization project.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Slow Reckoning \u003c\/i\u003ereveals how during most of the conflict Babrak Karmal, the ruler installed by the Soviets, instrumentalized Islam in support of his rule while retaining a Marxist-Leninist platform. Similarly, the Soviets at all levels failed to give Islam its due importance as communist ideology and military considerations dominated their decision making. This approach to Islam only changed after Mikhail Gorbachev replaced Karmal by Mohammad Najibullah and prepared to withdraw Soviet forces. Discarding Marxism-Leninism for Islam proved the correct approach, but it came too late to salvage the Soviet nation-building project. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Slow Reckoning\u003c\/i\u003e also shows how Soviet leaders only started seriously paying attention to an Islamist threat from Afghanistan to Central Asia after 1986. While the Soviets had concerns related to Islamism in 1979, only the KGB believed the threat to be potent. The Soviet elites never fully conceptualized Islamism, continuing to see it as an ideology the United States, Iran, or Pakistan could instrumentalize at will. They believed the Islamists had little agency and that their retrograde ideology could not find massive appeal among progressive Soviet Muslims. In this, they were only partly right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVassily Klimentov has received SNSF postdoctoral fellowships to conduct research at the European University Institute in Florence and at the University of Zurich. He holds a PhD in International History from the Geneva Graduate Institute.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 318\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.88 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 15, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51774236000544,"sku":"9781501773808","price":104.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ed4b88f1319b22cffe0d673262a3b6f0.webp?v=1780444065","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/a-slow-reckoning-the-ussr-the-afghan-communists-and-islam-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}