Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War against the Taliban [Paperback]

Stephen Tanner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0306818264 | ISBN-13: 978-0306818264 | Edition: First Edition, Revised Edition

For over 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads for armies and has witnessed history-shaping clashes between civilizations: Greek, Arab, Mongol, and Tartar, and, in more recent times, British, Russian, and American. When U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in the weeks following September 11, 2001, they overthrew the Afghan Taliban regime and sent the terrorists it harbored on the run. But America’s initial easy victory is in sharp contrast to the difficulties it faces today in confronting the Taliban resurgence.

Originally published in 2002, Stephen Tanner’s Afghanistan has now been completely updated to include the crucial turn of events since America first entered the country.

Editorial Reviews

Review

HistoryWire.com, 5/18/09
“In an age in which events in the Middle East threaten increasingly to spin out of control, few books could be as timely as this history of Afghanistan.”

The Middle East, June 2009
“Illuminates the broad historical context into which our forces have been drawn…[A] carefully researched account.”

About the Author

Stephen Tanner is a New York-based military historian who has written several highly regarded books, including Epic Retreats: From 1776 to the Evacuation of Saigon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; First Edition, Revised Edition edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306818264
• ISBN-13: 978-0306818264
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > History > Asia > Central Asia
  • #83 in Books > History > Asia > Afghanistan

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban April 1, 2006

By D. Rensema

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was very well researched and written. Even if you have very little knowledge of Afghanistan, you can understand and easily read this book. It is full of interesting history, along with it's excellent explanation of the military information that is the center if it's purpose.

Not being a military history buff, I was pleased to see that some of this country's history, it's native peoples, and some their customs were also covered.

It is good reading.

You must be interested in Afghanistan and it's history to read this book, and if you are this book is a winner for you.

The only drawback is that you can get lost in all of the names, battles and locations happening at once, especially during the Alexander period. If you have the patience to reread some passages over again, you'll be fine.

Lots of good information.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Overall Hostory of Afghanistan March 1, 2008

By Ada Quartermaster

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wanted to study up on the region while I was assigned there, and I read many books from Amazon.com. Many had bits and pieces of the history, but this book had a grand view from early times of Alexander the Great, the Muslim invasions, the Mongol conquest to later times during the Soviet invasion and the later rise of the Taliban. This book is essential and provides a basic understanding of many of the key players, which I was largely unable to find elsewhere. If I were given one choice of a book to read to understand Afghanistan for a Westerner before visiting there, this book would be it, especially for the price. Other books may provide some more detailed analysis of a smaller scale (Great Game, British Wars, Soviet War, etc.) but a whole history is most informative.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful for breadth, not for depth August 11, 2007

By John W. Hagala

Format:Paperback

This is an excellent book if you are just looking into the mindset of the region, and a basic history of Afghanistan. However, as another reviewer states, it does begin to fall flat on the more modern history. Again, Stephen Tanner acts as though the Taliban are gone forever toward the end of the book. He also makes a lot of assumptions, guesses, and does show that he lacks an understanding of our military and their strategies. For example, the suggestion that we were using Afghans as "cannon fodder" because we didn't give them combat boots, body armor, helmets and M-4s or M-16s. For a better understanding of why the Afghans wouldn't have accepted (or used) any of those things, I suggest reading Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. The short answers on both of those are "stealth" and "reliability". (The author actually refers to the AK-47 as RICKETY. Yikes.)

Becuase of this, for me, it does throw into doubt the rest of the book. If he could get so many basics wrong (again, the AK-47 - rickety? Really?) did he get any of the ancient history stuff right? Well, he doesn't cite any sources, so if you're looking for historical accuracy, you should pass on this. But I recommend this book if you want a somewhat slanted, entertaining, breadth-first basic approach to the military history of Afghanistan. It is rather easy to read.

If you want to really know what's going on in Afghanistan though, right now, there are better books out there. I highly recommend Luttrell's book above for a on-the-ground look at the Operation Enduring Freedom.

Overall I give this entertaining look at Afghanistan 3 rickety AK-47s out of 5.