A Brief History of Afghanistan

For centuries Afghanistan was able to maintain its unofficial policy of political isolation, aided by its sparse population and remote geography. Slowly, however, worldwide economic and cultural changes could no longer be shut out. At the end of the 20th century, after a protracted civil war, the capital and most of the nation's provinces were under the control of the rigidly fundamentalist Taliban. A Brief History of Afghanistan, Second Edition examines how this once isolated country became entangled in a lengthy and controversial global conflict. It provides extensive background information to enable readers to understand the current situation in Afghanistan and make informed judgments with regard to it.

Coverage includes

The rise of Islam to the establishment of the Afghan state

The birth of modern Afghanistan

The 20th-century monarchy

Two revolutions

Soviet Afghanistan

Afghanistan in rebellion

Mujahideen rule

The Taliban era

Afghanistan under Karzai

The Taliban resurgence

Basic facts, a chronology, a bibliography, and a list of suggested reading make up the appendixes.