roductions to the history of modern Afghanistan available to the general public.' --Baqer Moin, Head of the Persian Service, BBC

'This is a magisterial study of the troubled nation, from the accession of the Iron Amir in 1889 up to the Taliban, the war of the winter of 2001-02, and search for a new state structure thereafter.' --History Today

'Excellent - a veritable textbook, and a reference source for anyone interested in Afghanistan' --Dr. Thomas Withington, Jane's Intelligence Review and King's College, London

Synopsis

Afghanistan dominates the news today, as it often did during the Soviet occupation two decades ago. But even in the 19th and early 20th centuries at the height of the Great Game, Afghanistan was the focal point of East-West relations. Squeezed between Russia, China, India and Persia, its tortured history provides an extraordinary glimpse into the patterns of world politics. Today, Afghanistan sits at the pivot of a region where a new Great Game is taking shape, pitched between America, its rivals and the peoples of Central Asia.

See all Product description36:T532,I haven't completed the book yet, but I am enjoying it and finding it very informative. Chapters 1 and 2 were a complete slog to get through. It felt as though the author was expecting the reader to have a good general understanding of the regional history from the dawn of time, which I do not have. Because I didn't have a frame of reference many of the events (probably all of of them) the author referred to were a complete mystery to me so I just felt completely lost.Chapter 3 on ou