The Afghanistan wars - William Maley

A whole generation has grown up in Afghanistan knowing little but the ravages of war. The dramatic overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001 was simply one event in a series of interrelated struggles which have blighted ordinary people's lives over the last three decades, and which continue to interfere with reconciliation and reconstruction.

This new edition of The Afghanistan Wars provides a meticulously-documented history of these successive waves of conflict. It explores in detail:
the roots of Afghanistan's slide into disorder in the late 1970s
how the Soviet Union came to the rescue of unworthy clients and was then sucked into a quagmire
the frightening consequences of state breakdown and self-interested meddling by Afghanistan's neighbours in the period after communist rule collapsed
the rise and fall of the Taliban regime.

Thoroughly revised in the light of the latest research, the second edition also features a new final chapter which examines post-Taliban Afghanistan, bringing the story up to the present day and mounting a strong case for continuing support for this troubled country.