Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
The only complete single-volume military history of Afghanistan, from ancient times to the war waged by the United States after September 11.
Following the events of September 11, 2001, the world was riveted as American military power contested the legendary warrior culture of Afghanistan. By spring 2002, America began to draw down its forces, its mission accomplished: The Afghan Taliban regime has been overthrown and the terrorists it harbored were on the run. Was America's easy victory proof of its military superiority, or were the Afghans merely eyeing the newcomers as they have watched foreign armies in centuries past, knowing time is on their side?
For over 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads--not just for armies but for clashes between civilizations--the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, and Tartars, and in more recent times, Britain and Russia. Now America must face a new enemy on this land--a land that for centuries has become a graveyard of empires past.
This first-ever complete military history of Afghanistan illuminates the broad historical context into which American forces have been drawn--a cautionary tale, perhaps, about the dangers that may lie ahead.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
A must read for anyone interested in operations in Afghanistan
Customer Rating:
This is a very interesting book for anyone who wants to understand the current situation in Afghanistan. A review of the military history of the country that gives important clues to understand the present. Getting deep into the history of this country reveals that all the conflicts fought in Afghanistanthe throught history share basic cahracteristics that must be understood to avoid errors in the current conflict.
Afghanistan
Customer Rating:
I found this book very easy to read and digest. It covers a lot of history, but does not dwell too long on any one area. I will say that it probably helped a lot that I could produce a mental image of the region and have been to the country before, but even if that wasn't the case it still is a good book to help increase your knowledge of the region.
Very readable and informative
Customer Rating:
I highly recommend this book to the general reader--it's written in very readable and enjoyable prose, and covers a lot of territory without bogging down in too much detail. For me, the most enjoyable parts were reading the early chapter on Alexander the Great's foray into what is now called Afghanistan, as well as the British disasters in the 19th century. The book's only weak point is at the very end--it was published in 2002 and doesn't--in my view--cover in sufficient detail the events of post-9/11 Afghanistan while bringing in extraneous information about events in "the war on terror" elsewhere around the globe.
Overall Hostory of Afghanistan
Customer Rating:
I wanted to study up on the region while I was assigned there, and I read many books from Amazon.com. Many had bits and pieces of the history, but this book had a grand view from early times of Alexander the Great, the Muslim invasions, the Mongol conquest to later times during the Soviet invasion and the later rise of the Taliban. This book is essential and provides a basic understanding of many of the key players, which I was largely unable to find elsewhere. If I were given one choice of a book to read to understand Afghanistan for a Westerner before visiting there, this book would be it, especially for the price. Other books may provide some more detailed analysis of a smaller scale (Great Game, British Wars, Soviet War, etc.) but a whole history is most informative.
Afghanistan: A military history from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
Customer Rating:
Excellent book that informs the reader about the country and its military events. US Army issues this book to some Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan.
Select button not working? 
