Stewart: The Places in Between Rory Stewart: The Places in Between

Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Penguin Canada 2004
ISBN: 0-14-305330-2

Rory Stewart continues the tradition of political travelogue with style. Walking across Afghanistan right after the toppling of the Taliban, Stewart chronicles his impressions of people and places. Modern Afghanistan is still in many ways a primitive society - not that different from the times of Babur the Mughal emperor, whose footsteps Stewart followed.

"I sat down and wrote a long letter to my parents, in case I was killed. In the past sixteen months I had bribed, flattered, pried, bullied, begged, and wheeled in order to continue my walk. I was more of a tramp than a mystic, but as I wrote I felt at peace. I described to my parents the moments on the way that seemed to have a deep, unified relation to my past. I wondered if walking was not a form of dancing. I was happy then and I slept well." 116

Politics-wise, Stewart's book is full of examples of the difficulties West confronts when trying to help / civilize / colonize failed states and their populations. Statebuilding can be an impossible task. Human-wise, Stewart is a brilliant new author. He approaches history as a human being rather than a academic bessewisser or an arrogant colonizer.

"Every good and evil that exists
If you mark it well is for a blessing."

Second Opinion: Tom Bissell / The New York Times  ¶ 11/22/2006 10:33:00 ip.