Product Description

Afghanistan has become synonymous with violence. In the past 25 years alone, the country has endured Russian invasion and occupation, civil war and a US–led military campaign, resulting in the combined loss of over 2 million lives, most of them civilian. Even now, following the overthrow of the Taliban regime, old ethnic animosities have resurfaced which seem likely to push the country into another spell of internal war.





But why is it that Afghanistan has experienced such bloody conflict and slaughter? What factors have allowed the country to be exploited by external powers who have intervened to determine its politics, social structure and, consequently, its place in the world?


In this fascinating new book, Amalendu Misra seeks to provide answers to these pressing questions. By analysing the nature of conflict in Afghanistan, he exposes the various geopolitical, ethnic, economic and religious variables which have contributed to the breakdown of the Afghan state, and ponders whether post–war reconstruction could lead to a more democratic and peaceful Afghanistan.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #983509 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Review
"Misra′s ability to proffer ethnic explanations for Afghan conflict without losing sight of how wider global problems influence the country provides his work′s central strength."

Joseph Tucker, Nations and Nationalism

"Provides the reader, novice and expert alike with a clear guide through the complex maze of Afghanistan′s troubled past. Amalendu Misra′s work is an excellent starting point for the study of Afghanistan′s recent history, which can be a complex and cloudy subject at the best of times.’"

Tom Withington, Kings College, London

From the Back Cover
Afghanistan has become synonymous with violence. In the past 25 years alone, the country has endured Russian invasion and occupation, civil war and a US–led military campaign, resulting in the combined loss of over 2 million lives, most of them civilian. Even now, following the overthrow of the Taliban regime, old ethnic animosities have resurfaced which seem likely to push the country into another spell of internal war.

But why is it that Afghanistan has experienced such bloody conflict and slaughter? What factors have allowed the country to be exploited by external powers who have intervened to determine its politics, social structure and, consequently, its place in the world?

In this fascinating new book, Amalendu Misra seeks to provide answers to these pressing questions. By analysing the nature of conflict in Afghanistan, he exposes the various geopolitical, ethnic, economic and religious variables which have contributed to the breakdown of the Afghan state, and ponders whether post–war reconstruction could lead to a more democratic and peaceful Afghanistan.

About the Author
Lecturer in Politics at Queen’s University Belfast

Customer Reviews

A Timely Reminder of Afghanistan's Tragedy
This book provides a fascinating - and very timely - account ofAfghanistan’s recent history and ongoing tragedy. Amalendu Misra writesclearly, and his book will provide an excellent introduction to all themain issues for any newcomer to the subject. But while making the subjectaccessible, he still displays the scholarly rigour one would expect from alecturer in the prestigious School of Politics at Queen‘s UniversityBelfast. He draws on an impressive array of sources, ranging fromHuntingdon to Chomsky, and makes reference to all the most recent academicand journalistic contributions on the subject. My only quibble with thebook’s style is that the frequent and conscientious citing of sourceswithin the narrative occasionally seems to interrupt its flow.
The author's in-depth analysis of several issues of global significance,such as the character of Al Qaida and their symbiotic relation with theTaliban, will prove stimulating to any serious student, not only ofAfghanistan, but also of world affairs. The book’s main strength is toshow how Afghanistan’s internal ethnic divisions have led to almostcontinuous civil war. And how Afghanistan’s subsequent descent into‘failed state’ status, hastened by subsequent neglect by the internationalcommunity following the Soviet withdrawal, has had serious consequencesfor the world at large. The section on the position of the drug trade,and the comprehensive explanation of how Afghanistan has come to supplyalmost all of Europe’s heroin, fills a gap left in other more superficialstudies.
The book’s conclusions are frequently disturbing. The author argues that aviable and stable Afghan state, that will not present a serious securitythreat to the West in the future, will require the ongoing committment ofthe international community. And that the task of building it will not beshort or easy. A timely reminder indeed, with international attentioncurrently diverted towards Iraq.