In AG the war is very much with us, as it is with the characters in the book. In the EP Ondaatje defenitely takes a stand but it is not about the Germans and the Allied. It is about what war does to people. Which is what he does with AG also. I don't know if he is a student of Archaelogy or not but he uses his knowledge extensively in both the books.
Maps play a big part in both the books.