Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics

Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics
by Martin Ewans

Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $8.05
You Save: $6.90 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.04 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Martin Ewans
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2002-09-01
ISBN: 0060505087
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Harper Perennial

Book Reviews of Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics

Book Review: A pithy review
Summary: 4 Stars

I liked this book, had no problem reading it, and recommend it. Presumably when reviewers refer to it as "dry", they mean in comparison to such popular histories as Peter Hopkirk's fascinating "The Great Game". But, Hopkirk's point of view lends to the events an air of "the plucky British soldiers" fighting against "incredible odds" in their 19th century incursions into Afghanistan. What happened is that the disciplined British military with the aid of superior tactics and weaponry massacred numerous Afghanis in their quest to keep their Indian empire secure (from a Russian invasion that might never have occurred anyway), and, in due course, suffered some massacres of their own. I don't suggest Hopkirk whitewashed these events. Rather, he knows a story is more appealing with "heros" and "villains", and constructing these is how the very readable "The Great Game" makes a century of fairly detailed Central Asian history palatable.

Ewans's book lacks heros and villains. It's briefer and is consciously even-handed, written with a diplomat's grasp of how the personalities of leaders and the policies of powerful countries towards poor ones steer events. If you want a pithy review of Afghanistan's interactions with the world's great powers, its politics, and the succession of leaders from Dost Mohammed forward, this is your book. It certainly served me well.

Weaknesses of this book include, first, the sketchiness of the pre-19th century history and, second, a sharp focus on leaders and politics giving little idea of how ordinary Afghans lived, especially in rural areas (that is, until the closing chapters dealing with the Communist government, Soviet invasion, and regimes of the Mujahidin and Taliban). I'd like to know more about life in and leaders of the powerful rural tribes, who for 150 years have erected road blocks to the policies of kings, prime ministers, and presidents.

One source for conditions in the country-side are the travelogues of 20th century adventurers: Robert Byron "The road to Oxiana" (1930s - 6 stars out of a possible 5, though about 2/3s of that book concerns Iran), Eric Newby "A short walk in the Hindu Kush" (1950s - humor in the mountains), and Peter Levi "The light garden of the angel king" (1970s - next on my stack to read, but seems highly regarded by all).

Summary of Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics

A fascinating chronicle of a nation's turbulent history and a must read for anyone interested in the historical evolution of one of today's most dangerous breeding grounds of global terrorism.

Starting in seventh century AD, Martin Ewans shows Afghanistan's early days – of powerful dynasties, fierce tribal rivalries and stunning architectural feats. In Ewans߬ucid and dispassionate prose, a once powerful empire is revealed, whose traditions and political stability have over the years slowly been reduced to ruins.

Martin Ewans carefully and concisely weighs the lessons of history to provide a frank appraisal of Afghanistan's fragile relationship with its neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Sources Used in Stephen Coll's Ghost Wars
Afghanistan: From Holy War to Civil War ImageAfghanistan: From Holy War to Civil War
by Olivier Roy
Darwin Press, Incorporated; Published: 1995-09; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $24.95
Islam and Resistance in Afghanistan (Cambridge Middle East Library) ImageIslam and Resistance in Afghanistan (Cambridge Middle East Library)
by Olivier Roy
Cambridge University Press; Published: 1990-11-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $38.94
Price in other shops: $43.00
The New Central Asia: The Creation of Nations ImageThe New Central Asia: The Creation of Nations
by Olivier Roy
NYU Press; Published: 2000-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.80
Price in other shops: $22.00
The Search for Peace in Afghanistan: From Buffer State to Failed State ImageThe Search for Peace in Afghanistan: From Buffer State to Failed State
by Barnett R. Rubin
Yale University Press; Published: 1995-11-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $37.68
Price in other shops: $45.00
The Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in the International System, Second Edition ImageThe Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in the International System, Second Edition
by Barnett R. Rubin
Yale University Press; Published: 2002-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $19.00
Khyber caravan: Through Kashmir, Waziristan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan and northern India (A Canadian pocket book) ImageKhyber caravan: Through Kashmir, Waziristan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan and northern India (A Canadian pocket book)
by Gordon Sinclair
Simon & Schuster of Canada; Published: 1975; Unknown Binding; Book
Afghanistan: A Military History From Alexander The Great To The Fall Of The Taliban ImageAfghanistan: A Military History From Alexander The Great To The Fall Of The Taliban
by Stephen Tanner
Da Capo Press; Published: 2003-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.13
Price in other shops: $17.95
The History of Saudi Arabia ImageThe History of Saudi Arabia
by Alexei Vassiliev
NYU Press; Published: 2000-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.35
Price in other shops: $26.00
Khyber, British India's north west frontier: The story of an imperial migraine ImageKhyber, British India's north west frontier: The story of an imperial migraine
by Charles Miller
Macmillan; Published: 1977; Unknown Binding; Book
Price in other shops: $12.95
The Many Faces of National Security in the Arab World (Macmillan International Political Economy Series) ImageThe Many Faces of National Security in the Arab World (Macmillan International Political Economy Series)
St. Martin's Press New York; Published: 1993; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times ImageCharlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times
by George Crile
Grove Press; Published: 2007-11-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Places In Between ImageThe Places In Between
by Rory Stewart
Harvest Books; Published: 2006-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.84
Price in other shops: $14.00
Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters ImageAfghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters
by Ali Ahmad Jalali
Zenith Press; Published: 2001-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops: $16.95
Pashto Dictionary & Phrasebook: Pashto-English English-Pashto (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks) ImagePashto Dictionary & Phrasebook: Pashto-English English-Pashto (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks)
by Nicholas Awde, Asmatullah Sarwan
Hippocrene Books; Published: 2003-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.82
Price in other shops: $11.95
Afghanistan: A Companion and Guide ImageAfghanistan: A Companion and Guide
by Bijan Omrani, Matthew Leeming
Odyssey; Published: 2005-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.81
Price in other shops: $29.95
Dari: Dari-English English-Dari Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks) ImageDari: Dari-English English-Dari Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks)
by Nicholas Awde, Asmatullah Sarwan, Saeid Davatolhagh, Sami Aziz
Hippocrene Books; Published: 2003-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.81
Price in other shops: $11.95
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 ImageGhost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
by Steve Coll
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2004-12-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.70
Price in other shops: $18.00
The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban ImageThe Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
by Sarah Chayes
Penguin Press HC, The; Published: 2006-08-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops: $25.95
Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia ImageTaliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
by Ahmed Rashid
Yale University Press; Published: 2000-02-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $36.04
Price in other shops: $42.00
Afghanistan: A Military History From Alexander The Great To The Fall Of The Taliban ImageAfghanistan: A Military History From Alexander The Great To The Fall Of The Taliban
by Stephen Tanner
Da Capo Press; Published: 2003-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.13
Price in other shops: $17.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories