News: December 2007 Archives
Drawing Jihad
"Get that negative energy out on the paper," urges Awad Alyami waving his arms like an orchestra conductor. The objects of his exhortation - eight convicted jihadi warriors - sit at a long table clutching pastel crayons, as intent as......more
Cobra Gold
My heart sank when confronted with this book. Ever since Andy McNab (not his real name) made it big with his SAS tales, a plethora of former SAS veterans has published fictional accounts of their lives and times in Afghanistan/Iraq/Oman/you-name-it.......more
One Soldier's War in Chechnya
It was with some pleasurable anticipation that I awaited this book from the Frontline's Books Editor. He wanted "a soldier to review a soldier's book." When it arrived, I did what I do with all books before starting to read......more
Inside Out - January 2008
When we began recruiting members to the Frontline Club, we were often told that it would never work. After all, the sceptics said, why would you want to become part of a club that catered to war journalists and ex-hacks......more
A painful birth
Eight years after the war finished, Kosovo wears its poverty on its sleeve. The capital Pristina is an eye-sore. The place is strewn with refuse. Its streets are clogged with rubble and double-parked cars. UN has done nothing to invigorate......more