Afghanistan has dominated world news since September 11th 2001, as it did during the Soviet occupation of 1979-89. Indeed, Afghanistan has long been the focal point of East-West relations, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries when its mountain ranges provided the arena where the world's greatest powers sought to expand their influence. Squeezed between four empires--Russia, China, India, and Persia--Afghanistan's tortured history provides an extraordinary glimpse into the patterns of world movements. Today Afghanistan sits at the pivot of a region where new spheres of influence are taking shape as the U.S. positions itself into becoming a major player in Central Asia. The first serious history of modern Afghanistan, this book is of vital importance for understanding the country's current crisis and is essential reading for historians, policy makers, and all those interested in the state of the world today.

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