Afghanistan

An updated edition of the only complete military history of Afghanistan, from ancient times to the war against the Taliban insurgency—"Interesting, informative, and thought-provoking" (Military Heritage).

For over two,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads for armies and has witnessed history-shaping clashes between civilizations: Greek, Arab, Mongol, and Tartar, and, in more recent times, British, Russian, and American. When U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in the weeks following September eleven, 2001, they overthrew the Afghan Taliban regime and sent the terrorists it harbored on the run. But America's initial easy victory is in sharp contrast to the difficulties it faces today in confronting the Taliban resurgence.

Stephen Tanner's Afghanistan illuminates the broad historical context into which American forces have been drawn—a cautionary tale about the land known as the graveyard of empires. Originally published in 2002, this "carefully researched account" (Choice) has now been completely updated to include the crucial turn of events since America first entered the country.