The Foreign Service Journal, October 2011

20 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 Through failure to understand past mistakes and a dan- gerous misreading of the nature of the tribal environment, Tomsen argues, American strategists have facilitated the Taliban’s resurgence. TheWars of Afghanistan offers fresh, provocative solutions to shoring up the Afghan state, deal- ing with Pakistani intrigue and duplicity, and returning a measure of stability and peace to this persistently chaotic region. This truly epic insider’s account of modern Afghanistan is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to understand one of America’s toughest foreign policy co- nundrums. Peter Tomsen joined the Foreign Service in 1967 and, in addition to serving as George H.W. Bush’s special envoy to the Afghan resistance, has served in Thailand, Vietnam, India, China and the Soviet Union. He was deputy assis- tant secretary for East Asian affairs from 1992 to 1995. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia David Long & Sebastian Maisel, University Press of Florida, 2010 (second edition), $21.95, paperback, 176 pages. In this second edition of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (originally published in 1997), David E. Long and Sebastian Maisel offer a rare in- sight into a country that is often considered to be one of the most significant, but least understood, in the world. Drawing on his research and experience as an FSO in the region, David Long’s work has come to be regarded as an excellent reference on the people, culture, geography and political dynamics of Saudi Arabia. In the few decades since the beginning of its oil boom, Saudi Arabia has undergone a rapid transformation from an isolated society consisting of desert tribes into a wealthy state with a new taste for opulence that often seems at odds with its strict religious foundations. Taking into account this rapid modernization is an essential element in under- standing the desert kingdom, and that theme is thoroughly explored in this second edition. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is more a “glimpse be- hind the curtain” than a critical account or indictment of the Saudi system. It seeks to understand the Saudi per- spective on the country’s own history and place in the world. The second edition includes new chapters on tra- dition and modernity, and on Islam and society. David E. Long, a retired Foreign Service officer, is an international consultant on the Middle East and interna- tional terrorism. He has written several books on the re- gion, particularly on Saudi Arabia. Co-author Sebastian Maisel is assistant professor of Arabic and Middle East studies at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. Maryland in the Civil War William S. Shepard, Uncle Seth Cutler Press, 2011, $2.99, Kindle Edition. In Maryland in the Civil War, William Shepard has written a thor- ough but compact account of Mary- land’s struggle during the Civil War. Released in time for the 150th an- niversary of the Civil War, Shepard’s collection of four es- says is an essential read for Civil War buffs. The first essay, “The Setting, 1859-1860,” explores Maryland’s conflicting allegiances to the North and to the rebel South, as well as the institution of slavery in the state. The second essay examines the efforts of Governor Thomas H. Hicks to keep Maryland in the Union in spite of growing support for secession among state assembly- men. In his third essay, Shepard provides detailed accounts of the Civil War battles and battle units in Maryland. “Last Rolls of the Dice, 1864-1865,” the final essay, fo- cuses on the desperate gamble of General Jubal Early, Confederate States of America, to capture Washington, as well as the stories of two important figures: John Wilkes Booth and Dr. Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured Booth after Lincoln’s assasination. Shepard follows the twisty path of the deluded actor, along with that of Dr. Mudd, who was convicted of conspiring with Booth but pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1869. Retired FSO William Shepard is the author of nearly a dozen books, on topics ranging from French wines and his life as a consular officer to American history. He has also pioneered a new genre, the “diplomatic mystery.” There are now four novels in this series, with career diplo- mat Robbie Cutler as the protagonist (see Fiction). Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink John Campbell, Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, $29.95, hardcover, 216 pages; $15.94, Kindle Edition. “Part history and part memoir,” is how Publishers Weekly describes this chronicle of Nigeria since the 1960s C OVER S TORY