Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics
Adult/High School-Spanning a period from thousands of years  B.C.E. through September 11, 2001, Ewans ambitiously covers an  incredible scope of this country's history. While the writing is  dry at times, the information goes a long way toward putting the  nation's current situation in perspective. Events leading up to  and during the Soviet invasion in the late '70s are especially  intriguing, as is the explanation of the mujahadin's emergence.  More than half the book dwells on 20th-century happenings, with  quite a bit of fascinating detail on conditions in Afghanistan  during the '90s. Light is shed on how and why the Taliban  movement gained power. Discussion on drug trafficking includes  statistics on opium production. A five-page epilogue analyzes  the impact of 9/11 and subsequent actions taken to bring down  the Taliban and to snuff out bin Laden and his Al Qaeda  operations. Remarkably thorough text is supplemented by a  diagram of the Durrani dynasty; a section of 38 black-and-white  glossy plates showing not only historical places and figures,  but also early coinage; and 8 geopolitical maps. A former  diplomat who served in Afghanistan, Ewans has written a timely  and useful book that proffers insight into a country that until  recently had been overlooked by most of the world.Sheila Shoup,  Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.