A history of the events that helped create the conditions of the current world crisis.

In this broad introductory volume, Ralph Magnus and Eden Naby detail Afghanistan's physical situation, human environment, and modern history, as well as the rise and fall of competing internal forces, most recently the Taliban. The authors offer analytical insight into Afghanistan's political position within the restructured Central Asian region, the ethnic relationships that complicate its political history, and the potential for stability.Praise for the previous edition:

Author Biography: Ralph H. Magnus is the coordinator of Middle Eastern Studies at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey. He is a former assistant cultural attaché of the American embassy in Kabul. Eden Naby is a scholar of the Middle East and Central Asia and has served on the faculties at Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Wisconsin.