I contribute to this BBC Radio Scotland programme which goes out at 14.05 today. It tells the story of Alexander Burnes, of whom I am currently writing a biography. It will hopefully give you some idea of why I am so devoted to the project. I presume that outside Scotland you can listen to it online – can anyone give a link?
Given the appalling level of recent fatalities in our current doomed and pointless occupation of Kabul, I think you will find the story quite haunting.
UPDATE
I think you should be able to hear it live here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_scotland
or on Sky channel 0116
Thanks, I look forward to listening to it. I’m interested in Burnes myself and was looking into buying his writings on Bukhara and “Cabul”. By the way, I once asked you about whether or not you had any interest in a near-contemporary of his called Thomas Glover. Some of the parallels between his life and that of Burnes may be of interest to you although you might not find Glover as noble.
Angrysoba,
Glover not ringing an immediate bell. Burnes spells “Cabool” indeed almost all the Asian vowel sounds we render a u they rendered as oo ie pashtoon, mooltan, tipoo etc.
I think it should be easy to receive the program via bbc iplayer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017ckg0
Won’t appear on the iPlayer, if at all, until after the programme.
Craig, Burnes spells “Cabool” indeed almost all the Asian vowel sounds we render a u they rendered as oo ie pashtoon, mooltan, tipoo etc.
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Ah! Sorry about that. Yes, I realize my mistake now. All I remembered was that it was differently spelled in Burnes’ time. Presumably, “Sekundar” is a corruption of Alexander and apparently “Kandahar” is a corruption of “Alexandria” from Alexander the Great’s attempts to set up model cities all over his empire.
Craig, Glover not ringing an immediate bell.
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I just think of him as being a little similar to Burnes in that he was also dogged with rumours of being a Freemason, worked for Jardine Matheson – which presumably had business in Afghanistan at some time around then, was an intrepid explorer of what was, for the West, fairly new lands, and was a Scotsman to boot!
For cricket slaves to Murdoch like me, channel 0116 on Sky
Off Topic:
Craig, any news of the people who were removed from the UK to Uzbek?
TFS
TFS
see immediately preceding post
@Angrysoba, “Sikandar” is a local pronunciation of the Arabic version of Alexander’s name “Al-Iskandar”, after dropping the particle (“Al”). As to Kandahar, Wikipedia lists at least five etymologies, out of whose three sound equally probable to me – Kandahar <– Alexandria is just one of them…
Slightly OT -Just been reading “Arabian Sands”, by Thesiger. Excellently written, fascinating narrative. Recommend to those still capable of reading.
Craig – Alexander Burnes seems to be one of those people of whom the British Empire threw up too few – someone genuinely interested in the culture of the people among whom he was moving, and intelligent enough to make well-judged interpretations of complex situations. I’ve just had a quick look at
Bijan Omrani’s article about him.
I very much look forward to reading his biography, whwn you’ve finished it.
I think you can hear it live here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_scotland
Kashmiri, thanks for that. Although, perhaps you mean the article “Al”. My source for the Kandahar thingy is Dairmaid MacCulloch’s History of Christianity which is perhaps not the most reliable one. I’ve just dipped into a guidebook to Afghanistan that is written by Bijan Omari, Matthew Leeming and Elizabeth Chatwin that suggests Kandahar is “a corruption of the Indian ‘Gandhara'”
a guidebook to Afghanistan that is written by Bijan Omari,
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Whoops! Bijan Omrani. I wouldn’t have noticed my typo without Havantaclu’s post above mine.
Prpgramme details
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14:05–14:30 Death in Kabul
Disaster in Afghanistan, an explorer blamed. Mark Jardine investigates Alexander Burnes.
The link worked well. Makes the forthcoming book all the more desirable after that appetizer.
Hmmm…interesting show. I thought there was some disagreement there about Burnes’ motivations. I found a book in my local shop called The First Afghan War 1842-1844 (dates?) by J. A Norris, in which the author writes in his introduction that his is a revisionist work seeking to understand the actions of Burnes and one other player (perhaps McNaughton?). Do you know this book? Probably slightly old by now.
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By the way, why no mention of Flashman’s escape wearing women’s clothes?
Angrysoba
Norris is very good – well worth a read.
In general, that was an interesting taster though I think it chiefly showed you can do very little in 25 minutes. Quite a few points I would take issue with.
Was one of the points you would take issue with Clare Short’s politicaldecision to support Blair because she could do more for the Iraqi people if she stayed? They fobbed her off with that
‘roadmap’ to the Middle East nonsense, or whatever it was called.
I can’t agree with your point about Clare Short. I can remember her salivating over the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.
Besides which I have other reasons for believing her a bear of very little brain and absolutely no principles. If I find the details (link) I may post them.
Quelcrime, it wasn’t my suggestion. It was on the Radio Scotland broadcast about Alexander Burnes that she was compared to Burnes In her decision to support Blair. I just wondered if that was a point Craig would take issue with.
The bitch wears the same scarves as Mad Alldumb.
John,
I think it was Craig drawing the parallel. Unless I’ve got my voices mixed up. When I wrote ‘your point’, I meant Craig.
Definitely an interesting prog, Craig, I’ll have to keep an eye out for the book – any idea when it’ll be out?1
Anders, you old cock, this bitch, as you call Clare Short, has had more support from people for what she stood for, than you had hot flushes, keep you hands on it lad.
http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/iraq/942-fallujah-remembered-by-a-us-marine-who-helped-destroy-it-in-2004#.TstRXsca_Bx.email
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Fallujah remembered by a US marine who helped destroy it in 2004 21 November 2011
US Marine Ross Caputi reflects on Fallujah in Iraq, where he was deployed in the 2004 attack that killed thousands, displaced hundreds of thousands more and poisoned the city with chemical weapons.
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Stop the War Coalition
21 November 2011
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The destruction of Fallujah – one of the worst atrocities of the Iraq war
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It has been seven years since the 2nd siege of Fallujah — the American assault that left the city in ruins, killed thousands of civilians, and displaced hundreds-of-thousands more — the assault that poisoned a generation, plaguing the people who live there with cancers and their children with birth defects.
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It has been seven years and the lies that justified the assault still perpetuate false beliefs about what we did.
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The American veterans who fought there still do not understand who they fought against, or what they were fighting for.
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A repentance from a killer of innocent men, women and children. It should be compulsory reading for Bush and Blair and their fellow warmongers.
John,
I think it was Craig drawing the parallel. Unless I’ve got my voices mixed up. When I wrote ‘your point’, I meant Craig.
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Yes, Craig Murray made that point saying that as with Claire Short on Iraq, Burnes disagreed with the policy but thought he could do more from within than from without to steer it. Another guest on the show suggested that Burnes abandoned his principles in order to seek power for him and his family.