In this Book

buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary

Going beyond the stereotypes of Kalashnikov-wielding Afghan mujahideen and black-turbaned Taliban fundamentalists, Larry Goodson explains in this concise analysis of the Afghan war what has really been happening in Afghanistan in the last twenty years.

Beginning with the reasons behind Afghanistan’s inability to forge a strong state -- its myriad cleavages along ethnic, religious, social, and geographical fault lines -- Goodson then examines the devastating course of the war itself. He charts its utter destruction of the country, from the deaths of more than 2 million Afghans and the dispersal of some six million others as refugees to the complete collapse of its economy, which today has been replaced by monoagriculture in opium poppies and heroin production. The Taliban, some of whose leaders Goodson interviewed as recently as 1997, have controlled roughly 80 percent of the country but themselves have shown increasing discord along ethnic and political lines.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Dedication, Copyright
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. p. v
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Maps and Tables
  2. p. vi
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Preface
  2. pp. vii-xvi
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 1. Afghanistan in the Post-Cold War World
  2. pp. 3-22
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Historical Factors Shaping Modern Afghanistan
  2. pp. 23-53
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. Modern War in Afghanistan: Destruction of a State
  2. pp. 54-90
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. Impact of the War on Afghan State and Society
  2. pp. 91-132
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 5. Afghanistan and the Changing Regional Environment
  2. pp. 133-166
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 6. The Future of Afghanistan
  2. pp. 167-188
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendix: Major Actors in Modern Afghan History
  2. pp. 189-193
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 194-227
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Glossary
  2. pp. 228-236
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. References Cited
  2. pp. 237-253
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 254-264
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Back Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.