Afghanistan : land of conflict and beauty

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Afghanistan : land of conflict and beauty

John C. Griffiths

Andre Deutsch, 2009

Updated ed

  • : pbk

Available at  / 1 libraries

Search this Book/Journal

Note

"This updated edition published in 2009"--T.p. verso

Previous ed.: 2001

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

John Griffiths delves into the history, culture, social fabric, internal politics and economy of this intriguing and backward country. He reveals a nation living in the shadow of perpetual conflict: from the early incursions (Persian, Greek, and Hun Mongol) through the Russian invasion and subsequent withdrawal, to the rise of the Taliban and the resulting international crisis which led to the War on Terror and the ongoing Allied occupation of the country. Set against Afghanistan's deep-rooted religious, ethnic and social divisions and the more recent bitter civil war that left as many as 2 million Afghans dead and over 6 million homeless, Griffiths examines the political situation, in particular the role of the Taliban - who controlled approximately 90 per cent of the country before the war - under their fanatical and reclusive leader. He analyses their stance on minority groups, the importance of Islam, the place of women in Taliban society, their views on education and their support for the Islamic fundamentalist Osama bin Laden. He also discusses the difficulties that the West has and will continue to face when attempting to impose law and order on a country which has as its core a collection of diverse, independent and proud people, and stresses the importance of ultimately creating stability in what is becoming a vitally important strategic and political flashpoint. Fully updated, Afghanistan: Land of Conflict and Beauty provides an insightful and informative account of a country trapped between the middle ages and the twentieth-first century.

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • 1. Fulcrum of Empires
  • 2. The Great Game
  • 3. Pushtunistan Unjast
  • 4. Who Are the Afghans?
  • 5. Before the Civil War
  • 6. Earning a Living - pre-1979
  • 7. Red to Move
  • 8. Experiments in Democracy
  • 9. Coups Sans Surprise
  • 10. The Bear Burns its Paws
  • 11. Fighters For God?
  • 12. The Last Marxist and Others
  • 13. The Taliban Phenomenon
  • 14. The Fourth Horseman
  • Inconclusive Conclusions
  • Reading List
  • Index.

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

Page Top