Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History

Synopsis of Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History

A major history of Afghanistan and its changing political culture, this book traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region, from the Mughal Empire in the sixteenth century to the Taliban resurgence today. Thomas Barfield introduces readers to the bewildering diversity of tribal and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, explaining what unites them as Afghans despite the regional, cultural, and political differences that divide them. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how a land conquered and ruled by foreign dynasties for more than a thousand years became the 'graveyard of empires' for the British and Soviets, and what the United States must do to avoid a similar fate.