Kandahar, Kasparov, Vietnam Unlearned - Dispatches

Talibans are spirits that come at night - that's how Kandaharis call them. I'm preparing something about Kandahar, only I'm taking my time. Don't panick. I am just reading The War Gone By I Miss It So, by Anthony Loyd, speaking about other wars, in Bosnia and Chechnya - great book - so honest - humanity at its best and worst - the fascination for violence and cruelty, the fear, the illusory gap between participants and viewers in a war, between killers and victims - fantastic book - I will come back to it - and I am trying to read the blog of this Sarah Chayes, the blog of Kandahar.

What's bad for Putin is good for Russians - says Kasparov (the opposite is true, too, it means what's good for Putin is bad for Russia, that's from the blogger).

And Bob Herbert thinks that some lessons from Vietnam remained unlearned. I am about to read the Dispatches of Michael Herr. I have ordered it on the Amazon - only it takes time to arrive.