A Brief History of Afghanistan, Second Edition offers a clear, concise account of this country's historical and cultural heritage, from 3000 BCE to the present. This insightful book explores the culture and politics of the Pashtun tribes whose homeland extends across much of Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, as well as the Taliban insurgency and the relationship between local leaders and the central government in Kabul.

Table of Contents

• List of Illustrations
• List of Maps
• List of Charts
• Introduction: No Longer Remote
• Land and People
• Early History (Prehistory-651)
• From the Rise of Islam to the Afghan State (651-1747)
• The Birth of Modern Afghanistan (1747-1901)
• Twentieth-Century Monarchy (1901-1973)
• A Coup and a Revolution (1973-1978)
• Soviet Afghanistan (1979-1989)
• Afghanistan in Rebellion (1978-1992)
• Mujahideen Rule (1992-1996)
• The Taliban Era (1996-2001)
• A New Chance (2001-2010)
• Renewed Crisis (2001-2010)
• Appendixes
• Basic Facts
• Chronology
• Bibliography
• Suggested Reading