Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics – A Turbulent Chronicle of Empire, Soviet War, Taliban, and Reconstruction

by Martin Ewans

Reaching back to earliest times, Martin Ewans examines the historical evolution of one of today's most dangerous breeding grounds of global terrorism. After a succession of early dynasties and the emergence of an Afghan empire during the eighteenth century, the nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a fierce power struggle between Russia and Britain for supremacy in Afghanistan that was ended by the nation's proclamation of independence in 1919. A communist coup in the late 1970s overthrew the established regime and led to the invasion of Soviet troops in 1979. Roughly a decade later, the Soviet Union withdrew, condemning Afghanistan to a civil war that tore apart the nation's last remnants of religious, ethnic, and political unity. It was into this climate that the Taliban was born. Today, war-torn and economically destitute, Afghanistan faces unique challenges as it looks toward an uncertain future. Martin Ewans carefully weighs the lessons of history to provide a frank look at Afghanistan's prospects and the international resonances of the nation's immense task of total political and economic reconstruction.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Middle East, Asia, Islam, Reference

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[حسام آبنوس · Rating 2 out of 5]

«رابطه افغانستان با تروریسم بین‌المللی و شرکت آن کشور در تولید و قاچاق مواد مخدر و نیز نقض حقوق بشر باعث نگرانی بین‌المللی است.» این جمله در صفحات ابتدایی و در بخش پیشگفتار کتاب «افغانستان؛ مردم و سیاست» به قلم مارتین یواِنز، افسر سابق سرویس سیاسی بریتانیا، آمده که همین یک جمله کافی است تا بتوان به برداشتی کلی از کتاب رسید. کتابی که قرار است از مردم تا سیاست افغانستان را در یک بستر تاریخی روایت کند. حتی در پشت جلد کتاب آمده «مارتین یواِنز با نگاهی به گذشته‌های دور، دگرگونی‌های تاریخی یکی از خطرناک‌ترین سرزمین‌های محل پیدایش تروریسم جهانی را بررسی می‌کند.» که به نظر می‌رسد این پیش‌داوری از ابتدا در ذهن نویسنده وجود داشته که با چه سرزمینی روبه‌رو است و عامل سرزمینی را به عنوان مولفه مهم در رشد تروریسم معرفی می‌کند و به نقش‌های بیرونی اشاره‌ای ندارد.
روایتی که از دوران کهن آغاز می‌شود و به دوران پادشاهی صفویان و آغاز استقلال افغان‌ها بر سرزمین خود ادامه پیدا می‌کند. روایت کتاب سراسر نمایش بلوا و آشوب است. بلوایی که خارجی‌ها در آن نقش دارند ولی نبود اتحاد در داخل نیز به شدت یافتن آن دامن می‌زند!
کته‌ای که در این کتاب به آن اشاره می‌شود ولی خیلی پررنگ نیست، نقش عوامل خارجی در پررنگ شدن تنش و ناامنی در سرزمین افغانستان است. نویسنده اغلب تقصیرها را متوجه قبایل و شهروندان این کشور می‌کند، ولی به نقش خارجی‌ها در این اتفاقات اشاره‌ای نمی‌کند.
کتابی که در آن خبری از مردم و سیاست نیست بلکه بیشتر گزارشی است از اتفاقات تاریخی که مردم در آن نادیده گرفته شده‌اند. راوی در این اثر حرفی از مردم و تاثیر آنها بر مناسبات نمی‌زند و آنجایی که می‌خواهد از بلوا و بهم ریختگی حرف بزند عامل آن را فرهنگ بومی قلمداد می‌کند. البته در بخشی که قرار است از قربانی‌ها سخن گفته شود نیز به مردم اشاراتی می‌شود.
این کتاب با همین سبک دوران مختلفی را که این کشور به خود دیده روایت می‌کند تا اینکه به بخش طالبان می‌رسد. «ظهور طالبان برنامه‌ریزی شده بود» این اولین اشاره‌ای است که این کتاب به نقش عوامل خارجی در شکل‌گیری یک پدیده در این کشور می‌کند. اتفاقی که سال‌ها این کشور را به عقب برد. در فصل‌های پایانی تاکید می‌شود که میزان آسیبی که کابل بر اثر موشک‌باران توسط طالبان دید در پی حمله شوروی ندیده بود و شهر تبدیل به ویرانه شده بود. اما باز هم نویسنده سطحی از ماجرای طالبان گذر می‌کند و آن را محصول تفکر اسلامی می‌داند و غیرمستقیم می‌گوید که طالبان سالام‌گرا مخرب‌تر از شوروی کمونیست بوده است.
نویسنده به صورت زیرپوستی زمینه «اسلام‌هراسی» را با روایت تاریخی‌اش فراهم می‌کند. در صورتی که اشاره نمی‌کند مسلمین افغانستانی چگونه در طول تاریخ همواره مورد دست‌درازی بیگانگان از انگلستان، شوروی تا آمریکا و دیگر کشورهای اروپایی بوده‌اند. کشوری که مسیر رشد را در طول تاریخ طی کرده و در همین کتاب هم می‌بینیم که با این موضوع در بستر تاریخ روبه‌رو شده بود ولی به دلیل دخالت‌های بیگانگان از مسیر خود خارج شد.
«در مارس ۲۰۰۱ طالبان دو مجسمه عظیم بودا در بامیان را منفجر و به کلی نابود کرد. طاهرا این کار به اصرار مسلمانان غیرافغان افراطی و به دلیل آن‌که مجسمه‌سازی در اسلام حرام است انجام شده بود. اگرچه چهره و دست‌های بودا در گذشته به وسیله مسلمانان دیگر خراشیده شده و از بین رفته بود ولی برای اقناع تعصب طالبان کافی نبود.» این در حالی است که در همین کتاب تاکید می‌شود که «پاکستان نقش عمده‌ای در پیدایش طالبان داشت» و «وزارت کشور و ژنرال بابر از طالبان حمایت می‌کردند و سرانجام نیز سازمان اطلاعات ارتش ترغیب شد به جمع حامیان طالبان بپیوندد.» حتی «بی‌نظیر بوتو، نخست‌وزیر پاکستان، در مصاحبه‌ای با بی‌بی‌سی در سال ۱۹۹۶، اعتراف کرده بود که طالبان با حمایت مالی ایالات متحده آمریکا در پاکستان تعلیمات نظامی دیده بود» پس می‌بینیم آن چیزی که به عنوان اسلام افراطی معرفی شده دستپخت غرب و دلارهای کشورهای حاشیه خلیج فارس است. اسلامی که قرار نیست به فکر ملت‌های رنج کشیده باشد بلکه با هدف دفع شری به نام شوروی با حمایت غرب و هم‌پیمانان منطقه‌ای آنها ایجاد شد و در نهایت آتش آن دامنگیر خودشان شد.
«تردید نیست که کمک‌های مالی عربستان سعودی در هرچه قدرتمندتر شدن طالبان سهم عمده داشت» ولی در کتاب باز هم پیکان اتهامات متوجه کسانی است که نقشی در اتفاقات مهم نداشتند. «افغانستان نیروی متخصص و تحصیل‌کرده ندارد» این در حالی است که در صفحات قبلی همین کتاب به مهاجرت متخصصان از جمله پزشکان و روشنفکران پس از تشدید درگیری‌ها اشاره شده و این ادعایی است که نادرست است و نشان می‌دهد راوی کتاب در صدد انداختن تقصیرها به گردن ملت افغانستان است، در صورتی که آمریکا در جریان جنگ سرد با حمایت از طالبان در واقع مانع نفوذ شوروی در این کشور شد تا بتواند سهم خود در منطقه را از آن خود کند؛ «از همان آغاز کار روشن بود این کشور [آمریکا] چشم خود را به‌روی زیاده‌روی‌ها در امور اجتماعی و قضایی که ویژگی حکومت طالبان است، بسته بود. آمریکا به طور کلی افراطی بودن طالبان را انکار می‌کرد.» بنا به ادعای این کتاب می‌بینیم که آمریکا، دلارهای سعودی و حمایت پاکستان از طالبان زمینه رشد و گسترش آنها شده است.
کتاب «افغانستان؛ مردم و سیاست» که مارتین یواِنز آن را نوشته و سیما مولایی آن را ترجمه کرده و نشر ققنوس منتشر کرده، روایتی غیرمنصفانه با سویه اسلام‌هراسانه و پاک کردن چهره مقصران جنایت در این کشور است.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grant this book a five-star, because it's amazing to read what all external interventions in the internal affairs of this country has caused over the centuries.
Yes, part of it's tragedy can be blamed upon the tribal society that Afghanistan has been from the start, but several western countries have tried deliberately to intervene in Afghanistan only for their own gain or to defend their personal ideology.
The British and the Russian wanted Afghanistan to be in their influence sphere. The Afghans first respected their British neighbors, but after the First Anglo-Afghan War in the 19th century.

I quote the author:

... In Afghanistan itself, more serious for the longer term was the loss of any sense of trust and friendship between Afghan and Briton. In British mind, Afghans acquired a reputation for barbarity, treachery and fanaticism. This is all the more sad, as before the the First Afghan War, Masson (British representative in Afghanistan) was only one of many visitors who found Afghans exceptionally friendly and tolerant. ... The war changed all this: British and other foreigners were henceforth distrusted as potential aggressors and despised as infidel an immoral people



For decades the country struggle to a way of economic and social growth, but its development was blocked more than once by short-sighted leaders, who let their lust for power prevailed above the welfare of the country and its people.

When reading this book and coming up to the contemporary parts about Russian occupation, the civil war and the upcoming of the Taliban movement it became clear what went so desperately wrong for the Afghan state and its people.

I quote the author

... In more than one sense, the Afghan wheel came full circel during the closing years of the 20th century. Having first been the victim of Anglo-Russian rivalry in Asia and the the arena for a proxy war between the Soviet Union and the West, the country once again moved to purge itself of foreign occupation. ...

These were the intentions of the Taliban when they established an Islamic state, where the people could live their original way of life. However, Afghanistan has become part of a bigger world and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the refusal of the Taliban leaders to extradite Osama bin Laden made matters worse. Today the country is suffering from decades of warfare and the rebuilding of a safe society will take long years to come.

Although this isn't an easy to read book: it's a list of facts; it's worth reading, especially if you want to know what happened to this country over the centuries.

[Ximena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains too much information, but fortunately gets easier to follow after the Brits come into the picture. Is a must read for anyone interested in Central Asian history. Spoiler alert: there is more to war that the 9/11 attacks.

[Axel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Om du av någon anledning vill veta mer om Afghanistan och är villig att navigera dig kring hundra personer som har titeln Khan eller Shah så kör på.

Några lärdomar är att Afghanistan är bergigt och talibanerna har halvtaskig kvinnosyn.

[Sepehr Keshanchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

انگیزه مطالعه این کتاب درست در زمانی شکل گرفت که چند کتاب و مقاله مختلف بصورت غیر منسجم در زمینه افغانستان مطالعه کردم . به واسطه عشق بی حدی که به جغرافیا از دوران کودکی داشتم و پیوند این موضوع با عطش سیری ناپذیرم در آشنایی با فرهنگ هایی که تشابهات تاریخی با ایران دارند ، در مدت زمانی کوتاهی شب و روز به وسیله کتاب و اینترنت در مورد افغانستان مطالعه کردم .... شاید این کتاب نقطه اوج مطالعه ام در زمینه افغانستان بود .... کتاب به لحاظ اسکلت تاریخ نگاری بسیار خوب و منسجم به رشته تحریر دراومده ، همچنین ترجمه قابل قبول و خوبی هم داره . اما به چند دلیل توصیه میکنم که اگر به موضوع افغانستان علاقمند هستید این کتاب رو مطالعه کنید : 1- ملت و مردم افغانستان در رهگذر زمان روندی بسیار شبیه ملت و مردم ایران طی کردند . در بخش های تاریخ افغنستان علی الخصوص در دوره معاصر شما گویی داری تاریخ ایران رو مطالعه میکنی با این تفاوت که نام شخصیت ها فقط متفاوته و به زبان ساده روند ملت سازی افغانها بسیار شباهت های جالبی با ما ایرانی ها داره 2- تمام عوامل تهدید کننده رونده حاکمیتی افغانستان در بخشی از تاریخ عیناً مشابه ایران ماست . تصور دوره ای که از شمال روس ها و از جنوب انگلیس ها خاک و حاکمیت ایران ما رو مورد تعرض قرار میدادند بصورت کاملاً مشابه برای افغانها هم اتفاق افتاد 3- افغانها در مسائل مختلف اجتماعی سیاسی و ژئوپولتیک مجبور به انتخابهایی شدند که ما ایرانی ها هم مجبور به انتخاب هایی مشابه شدیم .4- روند تقابل سنت و مدرنیته در هر دو کشور عیناً مشابه هم بود و همینطور روند ملت سازی و یکپارچگی سرزمینی بصورت همزمان و در شرایط مشابه انجام شد ولی نتایج متفاوتی به بار آورد 5- آشنایی با فرهنگ عامه و خلقیات افغانها که میتونه تصور شما رو تا حدی تغییر بده که شما مثل من هرلحظه اشتیاقی عجیب به سفر به این سرزمین کم شناخته و مرموز داشته باشی ...... به همین دلیل اگر این کتاب رو مطالعه کنید قطعاً پشیمان نخواهید شد .

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent survey introduction to the history of Afghanistan, though it does place disproportionate emphasis on the period from the Soviet invasion forward. Approximately the last half of its 300 pages covers 1978-2002; the preceding 40% covers the period from the emergence of the Afghan state in 1747 to the invasion; and the the first 30 pages have to cover everything from the arrival Alexander the Great in 330 BCE forward to the mid-18th century. Still, most general readers will probably be more interested in the last 30 years or so, so tilting the book in that direction may make it more appealing. As a survey history, it does suffer from the one-thing-after-another style that plagues that genre, but Ewans mitigates that to some extent by returning repeatedly to the theme of the fragility of any Afghan state. There are more readable books that cover the material in in greater depth, such as Ghost Wars, Charlie Wilson's War, and The Great Game, but this is a very good place to start, and has the additional advantage of focusing on Afghanistan on its own terms, rather than in terms of its role in recent US events or colonial European history.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been interested in Afghanistan obviously from things in the news but also from reading books like The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. This was a good overview of a very complicated country with a complicated history. There are places where it gets a little hard to keep the people straight, but I think that lends itself more to the continual changes of power within the country more than any flaw in the writing.

[Faraaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in many ways is a good reflection of the limitations in the existing compendium of texts available on Afghanistan. Martin Ewans is a British Diplomat who was posted to Pakistan and then became Head of Chancery in Kabul, Afghanistan.

This book is great when it comes to the History of Afghanistan until the 1970s. Martin Ewans cites a whole list of existing historical books for this and it's hard to dispute.

However where it gets tricky is the more recent events starting with the Russian invasion and war that followed on towards the civil war and the emergence of Taliban.

Given these are more recent events directly related to current affairs today, the history of these events is more contested. This is where Ewans falls short as he only cites American/Western sources for their account of the history.

This in many ways is a great reflection of what went wrong in Afghanistan. The way Western intellectuals look at Afghanistan is purely from their own specific viewpoint, a very top down approach without much regard for the existing socio political dynamics within Afghanistan and that of it's regional neighbors from Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Russia etc.

As a result, it never occurs to writers like Martin Ewans that how they want to shape Afghanistan might not just be opposed to how the local and regional players see it, it's also far removed from the ground realities.

As such you have Western backed governments falling apart the moment NATO forces are pulled out because these governments were imposed without any consideration of the nuances and local political realities.

This view of a British diplomat is a emblematic of how an entire army of thinkers, intellectuals, diplomats, foreign correspondents and security advisors ultimately fall short when it comes to nations like Afghanistan

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good summary of the history of Afghanistan up to the eve of the 9/11 attacks. Ewans gives a great geographical/ethnological introduction and a concise history up to the sixteenth century. From there he slows down to track with more detail the development of the Afghan kingdom and the growing problem of becoming a buffer estate between rivalling empires, from the Russian/British to the Soviet/American pairs. He follows up to early 2001 in the same detailed way, showing all along the voluble nature of Afghan history with coups and rebellions alternating with periods of tenuous or repressive central control. He keeps the narrative moving by the detail with which he shows the ethnic and regional rivalries that would seem to keep one part of the population always upset with whoever was governing the country. The work is a great way to understand the complicated history of this country and the difficult prospects it faces, no matter who wields power.

[Charles Theiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Ewans is an old British diplomat, and therefore has geopolitics and war tactics at the front of his brain no matter the period of history. However, credit where credit is due, he brings a somewhat refreshing view which does not shy away from critiquing colonial and Cold War institutions which were completely and utterly unjust. Could have done with a little more of that view, but I'm relatively happy with what I got.

To have finished writing this just before 9/11 was prodigiously and unpredictably bad timing. The original version was outdated as soon as it hit the shelves. This updated version from 2002 leaves so much to be desired when reading in retrospect, having knowledge of the results of the US occupation.

That being said, it is absolutely fascinating to have a book that so clearly shows how the West conceived Afghanistan's history and its current politics just before 9/11.

Solid 3/5

[Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, perfunctory, and rather well written work, Martin Ewans describes the history of Afghanistan in an easy to digest manner. It includes crucial context that is often missing, such as the impact of the Great Game and World War 1 on Afghanistan’s political trajectory. Although more detail is provided later on, particularly on the Soviet-Afghan War, it nonetheless offers a good holistic perspective.

However, this is evidently an outdated work, published only in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and so misses the crucial decades following, including the U.S. occupation and the resurgence of the Taliban. As a time capsule into the optimism of the early 2000s for rebuilding Afghanistan, yes, it is a worthwhile read, but there are other more recent and more in depth works. Functionally, the more detailed focus on inner Afghan history makes it good as say a companion peace to Steve Coll’s “Ghost Wars,” which itself is a fantastic read.

[maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a survey history of Afghanistan, and a good idea to read if you’re curious as to why foreign intervention a) always fails (specifically in Afghanistan) and b) makes things worse. There was no peaceful transfer of power (except demanded by foreign treaties) for the entire 20th century, and it seems like the only national government that actually had control in rural or tribal areas was the Taliban

You know not too bad for a white guy in the early 2000’s. Obviously still written from a heavily Western perspective, but author takes noticeable effort to remain neutral and gets a little woke sometimes (seriously, any white guy slamming the alarm button about Blowback circa 2002 gets some props)

[Covey Mcallister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good summary of Afghanistan’s history, but I felt quite rushed. Would like something more comprehensive. It’s a good introduction.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but succinct review: if you want a better understanding of the what’s and why’s of the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, then read this book.

[Danny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a little dated. The author relied heavily on British reports which gave a pretty limited perspective of Afghanistan's history.

[Fatima Airan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers an exhaustive review of major political events in Afghanistan but provides little insight into the lives and experiences of the people.

[Grace Ruhnke · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information was super interesting but the way it was presented was ok. Had to watch a lot of YouTube videos for context.

The ending of the book was the saddest part because in the beginning it talked about a beautiful country and now it is filled with war.

[Steve Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book in 2002, not long after the American invasion of Afghanistan. The book itself only briefly at the end dealt with Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. The story this book told was a rather bleak one. Depending on a person's political leanings, Afghanistan should either be converted into a lawless no-man's land where the world's criminals and their organizations are sent wholesale to fight for their own survival in a bleak land or, conversely, Afghanistan should be converted into a huge refugee camp administered by the United Nations. Under the latter scenario, the oppressed would have a place to go that no one else wants where they could at least survive under the auspices of U.N. peacekeepers. Based on the history of this country as written by the author, Afghanistan never had and never will have anything close to a stable government that provides for its people. Even with strong rulers, Afghanistan was never more than a central government in Kabul surrounded by those who would bring down said strong ruler. What did I take from this book? There is no hope for this country, not even with the United States and U.N. involved. What happens next to Afghanistan will not be pretty. But as a result of the Taliban and bin laden, it will forever be marginalized at least. If potential readers of Afghan history are looking for a silver lining, look elsewhere. You won't find it in this book.

[Babak Fakhamzadeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book on the history of Afghanistan.

Also, it appears this book was written in 2001 and amended slightly for what happened in that year and the next. Of course, with Afghanistan, things change fast at the moment, meaning there's quite some information lacking already.

Interestingly, the British force retreating after the first afghan war of 1840 did not see only one person survive the campaign, as is often reported. Though only one person indeed returned from the campaign during the retreat, a year later, more than 100 individuals were found to have survived inside Afghanistan. Even more interesting, two old women, presenting themselves to a British legation as late as 1920, turned out to have been babies at the time of te retreat, having been rescued and raised by Afghan families.

The book makes a clear point as to why the Soviets moved into Afghanistan in 1979; to prevent the revolution from falling apart, which would risk the concept of communist revolutions in general to be seen as faulty by design.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm working my way through this, it's rather dry but really helpful understanding the troubled history of Afghanistan, rapidly deteriorating (yet again, typical for the history of this "gateway" country) and becoming the focus of the incoming Obama administration as he plans to move us out of Iraq. The several chapters on Britain and Russia and their attempted use of Afghanistan as a pawn in the Great Game of the 19th century as the rich and powerful empires tried to manipulate Central Asia to serve their ends explains, in large part, the distrust Afghans feel towards outsiders. Add to this a tribal, primitive culture with little infrastructure, harsh, often mountainous, inhospitable terrain and you've got a nightmare scenario for waging a war, whether for "hearts and minds" or for conquest.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read covering Afghanistan's ancient history through its modern day issues (through 2002, when the book was published). Alarmingly, there are many parallels between what is happening currently in the country and earlier efforts of Amanullah Khan, who was in power from 1919 through 1929 when he fled the country due to uprisings. One can only hope that those in charge of both Afghanistan and the international efforts to help the country will not repeat these past mistakes by studying its varied and rich history merely outlined in this book. This book does need an afterword or an addendum outlining the things that have happened since 2002 and the fall of the Taliban, as much has changed and of course, there is still history to be made. Excellent read for those interested in a brief history up through 2002.

[Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at Afghanistan's turbulent history. Early chronology of Afghanistan's various social upheavals and leadership turnovers from the 1700s through the 1800s are monotonous, however the author's attention to the three Anglo-Afghani wars and Soviet influence during the early to mid twentieth centuries are highlights to an otherwise tedious read. Clearly, Afghanistan is a troubled country. The frequency of political coups, habitual infighting amongst tribal groups, and resistance towards outside influences suggest the 2014-2015 time-frame will mark the twilight of Karzai's regime as US troops withdraw from the region.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man this book is dry, it took me about 6 months to finish it. If you want a complete overview of Afghanistan's history this is a good place to start. If you're looking for a more enjoyable way to learn about this country read "Where Men Win Glory." I also thought that book gave a much better insight into Afghanistan's troubled history and drew better conclusions/inferences as to why these events are happening. Mr. Ewans' book seems to lose the pattern in all the detail.

[Michele White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, concise history of Afghanistan, from the 1700s until 2001. Really provides a great foundation for understanding the current conflict and realities in Afghanistan, which is what I was looking for. I've also read Rory Stewart's The Places in Between, which is split between culture, history and current events (well, at least more current). Taken together, I think you get a pretty good portrait of a country, although now both leave out some of the important, but recent history.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book's strength is the depth of information presented during the period of the late 1800's until 1979. Its weakness is in the lack of depth during ancient history, as well as the period from 1979 -2000. There are plenty of good books that cover the area where this book skips over too quickly, but overall this is a good introductory source of narrative in a country that has for centuries been in turmoil.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of this troubled country and its resilient people. the author interjects personal opinion and never couches it as fact. I enjoyed learning about all the forces that have shaped Afghanistan. This book has made me eager to do something to help the people of this war ravaged country.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting short history, but it does not paint a hopeful future for Afghanistan. How will this country ever over come it culture of internal bickering, warfare, and assassination?

Maybe only by good works of a few, eventually becoming many. Peace will be long in coming and only brought by the Afghans themselves.

[Jon Bastoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult reading but a thorough and knowledgeable overview. I enjoyed it up until the last line of the epilogue where Ewans blamed all the problems of the third world on Western Colonialism. Ironic since he labored throughout to show the need for western intervention and financial aid to assist with the industrial and infrastructure development in Afghanistan.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a history of failed interventions by the British and Russians. Why didn't we read this before we invaded? It ends after the 2002 American temporary rout of the Taliban. This is a good background book to the current Afghan situation.

[Eric Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good concise history of Afghanistan.