- Paperback: 338 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Perennial Ed edition (16 Jan 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060505087
- ISBN-13: 978-0060505080
- Product Dimensions: 13 x 2.5 x 20 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 486,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
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 7th century A.D., Martin Ewans shows Afghanistan's early days - powerful dynasties, fierce tribal rivalries and stunning architectural feats. He examines the various milestones on the country's road to the 21st century. The three Anglo-Afghan Wars (1838 - 1913), a power struggle between Russia and Britain for colonial supremacy in Afghanistan, ended by the nation's proclamation of independence in 1913. A leftist coup in the 1970s ended the monarchy and resulted in the invasion of Russian troops in 1979. A decade later, Russia withdrew and left Afghanistan in a Civil War that tore apart the nation's last remnants of religious, ethnic and geopolitical unity-the Taliban was born. In Ewans' lucid and dispassionate prose, is a once powerful empire, whose traditions and political stability have over the years slowly been reduced to ruins. Today, Afghanistan is war-torn and destitute, its people struggling to live their lives one day at a time under one the most fundamentalist and rigid rules imaginable. Martin Ewans carefully and concisely weighs the lessons of history to provide a frank look at Afghanistan's fragile relationship with its neighbouring countries and the dangerous national and international consequences of the Taliban's place in Islamic society.
About the Author
The author lives in London. He will be giving a lecture at the Royal Overseas League on 10 February 2003.
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First Sentence
FOR A COUNTRY AS CLOSED and remote as afghanistan, a great deal for archaeological research has been carried out over the years, although relatively little of it has covered the country's prehistory. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
FOR A COUNTRY AS CLOSED and remote as afghanistan, a great deal for archaeological research has been carried out over the years, although relatively little of it has covered the country's prehistory. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a detailed if relatively brief account of the complex history of Afghanistan, two thirds of the book focusing on the last hundred years.
Of particular interest perhaps is how communists came to power in Afghanistan at the very moment where it seemed genuine democracy was at the point of taking. A coup by communists followed a coup by the somewhat inscrutable Daoud whose obsession with recovering territory from Pakistan led to his undoing.
Earlier than that we have a history of the "Great Game" where Afghans were forced to play off the interests of Britain and Russia over many decades. The way Ewans tells this the Brits, despite some follies and excesses, prevented a likely Russian takeover and this led to relative stability until the British withdrew after the second world war.
Finally the book looks at the civil war which followed the withdrawal of the Russians in 1988 and the subsequent rise of the Taliban with Pakistani backing, ending with a grim view of the future.
A theme throughout is the great pride of the Afghani people and their refusal to assent to intervention from abroad. So far they have been unable to reconcile this with any stability for their own people.
If you want to know the history this seems like a good place to start.
Of particular interest perhaps is how communists came to power in Afghanistan at the very moment where it seemed genuine democracy was at the point of taking. A coup by communists followed a coup by the somewhat inscrutable Daoud whose obsession with recovering territory from Pakistan led to his undoing.
Earlier than that we have a history of the "Great Game" where Afghans were forced to play off the interests of Britain and Russia over many decades. The way Ewans tells this the Brits, despite some follies and excesses, prevented a likely Russian takeover and this led to relative stability until the British withdrew after the second world war.
Finally the book looks at the civil war which followed the withdrawal of the Russians in 1988 and the subsequent rise of the Taliban with Pakistani backing, ending with a grim view of the future.
A theme throughout is the great pride of the Afghani people and their refusal to assent to intervention from abroad. So far they have been unable to reconcile this with any stability for their own people.
If you want to know the history this seems like a good place to start.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
18 reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Complete History of Afghanistan
27 Sep 2005
Format:Hardcover
Martin Ewans, who previously served as a British diplomat in Afghanistan, is clearly someone who is very knowledegable of Afghan history and its people. However, the title "A Short History" may be a bit misleading, as this is, in fact, a thorough examination of Afghan history with some rather dense writing. Certainly it is more for those seriously interested in the subject matter rather than the casual reader.
Another thing to consider is that this book covers Afghanistan from its earliest days to the modern era. Personally, I was most interested in Afghanistan's ancient history as well as the contemporary period, especially the Taliban and the current U.S. military presence. Instead its ancient history is only briefly discussed, with the bulk of the book being devoted to the 1800's and 1900's. The book does offer substantial and insightful coverage of the Soviet occupation, the mujahidin and the Taliban. But, since the book was written in 2002, it's not completely up to date on what is currently happening in Afghanistan. So someone primarily interested in post-Taliban Afghanistan might do better with one of the many books devoted solely to the contemporary era.
Still Ewans is a extremely intelligent man and has tremendous amounts of information and insight to convey regarding Afgan history. This one is worth reading for those with a serious interest in the country
Another thing to consider is that this book covers Afghanistan from its earliest days to the modern era. Personally, I was most interested in Afghanistan's ancient history as well as the contemporary period, especially the Taliban and the current U.S. military presence. Instead its ancient history is only briefly discussed, with the bulk of the book being devoted to the 1800's and 1900's. The book does offer substantial and insightful coverage of the Soviet occupation, the mujahidin and the Taliban. But, since the book was written in 2002, it's not completely up to date on what is currently happening in Afghanistan. So someone primarily interested in post-Taliban Afghanistan might do better with one of the many books devoted solely to the contemporary era.
Still Ewans is a extremely intelligent man and has tremendous amounts of information and insight to convey regarding Afgan history. This one is worth reading for those with a serious interest in the country
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
A pithy review
4 Mar 2006
Format:Paperback
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).
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).
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Excellent Survey
9 July 2003
Format:Paperback
This is a great book for readers interested in a brief survey of Afghanistan's political history and foreign relations from ancient times to 9/11. Author Ewans, a retired British diplomat who served in Kabul, writes superbly, stays focused on issues that are important and interesting, and has a droll sense of the role played by stupidity in foreign affairs. The highlights are the chapters on Anglo-Afghan relations in the 19th century and the Soviet occupation and civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. Ewans does stumble in early chapters that reshash boring dynastic histories from the middle ages (hence my rating of four stars), but this is the only flaw in an otherwise excellent book.
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