For over 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads--not only for armies but also for clashes between civilizations. As the United States engages in armed conflict with the current Afghan regime, an understanding of the military history of that blood-soaked land has become essential to every American.Afghanistan's military history provides lessons for us today. The earliest written records inform us of fierce mountain tribes on the "eastern" edge of the cradle of civilization. Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan on his way from Persia to India. Later, because of its strategic location--the Silk Road passed through its mountainous northern region--Afghanistan was invaded in succession by Arabs, Mongols, and Tartars. In the nineteenth century, Great Britain tried--and failed--to add Afghanistan to its Indian empire, while Russia tried to expand into the same embattled land. Afghanistan once again fought--and defeated --Russia in the 1980's when it tried to prop up a secular government in the face of rising Islamic resistance.Now America must face a new enemy on this land--a land that for centuries has become a graveyard of empires past.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Amazon
With brisk authority and many illuminating analogies, Stephen Tanner's Afghanistan: A Military History recounts the 2,500-year story of a region and, more recently, a country of "incredible beauty" (U.S. soldiers liken it to western Colorado) that has been both the "coveted prize of empires" and a hideout for international terrorists. What Afghanistan has known for virtually all its history is war. Tanner writes, with a good eye toward narrative, of the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan by Cyrus, Alexander, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the British (disastrously), and the Soviet Union (only slightly less so), as well as the rise and fall of the Taliban, ending the book with a brief, speculative chapter on the country's present and future. Tucked into Tanner's overview are fascinating historical footnotes, including the Afghans' reliance over the centuries on its now-infamous caves, and its brief role in World War II--the Nazis felt a kinship with the blonde, blue-eyed segments of the population. This is a noteworthy and valuable book: accessible, objective, informed, and informative. --H. O'Billovich
From Publishers Weekly
Although the public's interest in Afghanistan-based military operations may be waning, Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban brings readers from the 3rd century B.C.E. (with a nod to the 2,000 years preceding) to the beginnings of Hamed Karzai's government. This secondary source-based account by Stephen Tanner (Epic Retreats: From 1776 to the Evacuation of Saigon) tells the story of this historical crossroads as it passes, violently, from Alexander to the Mongols, the Durrani Empire, the British, the Soviets and Mujahideen, the Taliban, and "the Americans."
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Hardcover
This book really an insult to people who have spent hard earned money in the hopes of educating themselves on this subject. The author makes such huge assumptions about the actions of America that its just too simply far-fetched to believe. Example: The author incredibly states that Americans were angry at John Walker Lindh only because U.S. troops didn't participate in the ground war. The author obviously has little understanding of American culture and American society and has taken to the usual and often repeated Euro mantra that Americans are a war-hungry society. After such faulty assumptions are made, it is no longer a credible reference tool.
Format:Hardcover
I reccomend this in light of our present war in afghanistan. This is a mountainous nation that defeated the Russsians and the British before us. A confounding culture of rival tribes and people that have known war forever. This rugged land is interesting and it has been the center of much intrigue and war for thousands of years. This book tells it all.
By Wali
Format:Hardcover
One of the worst books that I have read about Afghanistan. Initially I was really excited about this book, but after reading half it I realized that author had gone to his local library, collected all the books about Afghanistan and copy and pasted...
The author gives 1900 years of afghan history not even half of the book, concentrates too much on Anglo-afghan wars, with a lot of quotations to fill pages, really unscholarly work.
This is anything but a "military" history book. The author does not talk at all about the afghan battle tactics throughout the history. No map of battles, and their formations... this is probably one of the worst books about Afghanistan ever.
Good only for scanning, and casual reading. And off course buy the second hand version of this book.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews
3.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
An adequate historical review
Like others, I read Tanner's book in order to gain a greater familiarity with Afghanistan's military history. In this respect, the book succeeds. Read more
Published on May 23 2003 by Jason McMahan
5.0 out of 5 stars
The authoritative book on Afghan history
September 11th, 2001 brought about an unprecedented chain of events. The world's most powerful nation is now deeply intertwined with one of the poorest and most isolated countries... Read more
Published on Nov 19 2002 by Gerald Ford
5.0 out of 5 stars
very lucid scholarship
Afghanistan brings to mind two episodes that have snared the world's attention. The first is the heroic Afghan struggle against Soviet occupation during the 1980s. Read more
Published on Nov 6 2002 by Ronald T. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential to understanding the heritage and culture
Here's another title essential to understanding the heritage and cultures of the Middle East: a military history of Afghanistan from Alexander the Great to the Taliban. Read more
Published on Sep 7 2002 by Midwest Book Review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and entertaining military history
How did Alexander the Great feel when he viewed Afghan warriors following his every move through the open fields and tight crevasses of Afghanistan? Read more
Published on Aug 11 2002 by George Enwell
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Asia > Afghanistan
- Books > History > Asia > Central Asia
- Books > History > Middle East
- Books > History > Military
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
