Afghanistan and Central Asia: A Modern History

by Mccauley,Martin

• ISBN13: 9780582506145
• ISBN10: 058250614X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2002-03-18
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Huge demand for books on this little-known region. There is nothing out there that covers the region in this way. Clear and accessible introduction for readers with little or no previous knowledge Completely up-to-date. McCauley is widely-acknowledged as a regional expert. The Afghan crisis has grabbed the attention of the entire world, and underlined the desperate need in the West for a better understanding of the region and its challenges in the face of increasingly militant interpretations of Islam. Carved up and fought over by the British and Tsarist Russia in the nineteenth century, and under Soviet domination for much of the twentieth, the lonely passes, deserts and peoples of the five Central Asian republics have remained shrouded in obscurity. Even Afghanistan, the site of almost constant conflict since the Soviet invasion of 1978, is little known beyond the media images of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement. Martin McCauley draws on his vast knowledge of the region and its history to provide a clear and highly readable account of Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tasikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, from their medieval pasts to the unpredictable present. Illuminating languages and landscapes, cultures and society, he examines the rise of militant Islam and its impact on the region, the push and pull of global economics and politics, and possibilities for stability in an inherently unstable part of the world.Martin McCauley is a specialist on the region and frequently appears as a commentator on regional issues on radio and TV in the UK and the US.

Author Biography

Martin McCauley is a specialist on the region and frequently appears as a commentator on regional issues on radio and TV in the UK and the US.

Table of Contents

Glossary.

Who's Who.

Acknowledgements.

Preface.

Maps.

I. INTRODUCTION.

Afghanistan.

Central Asia.

The Mongols.

The Russians come.

The Communists come.

Stalin's revolution.

The 1970s: Uzbekistan.

Khrushchev and the Virgin Lands.

The Great Uzbek cotton scandel.

Cometh the hour, cometh Gorbachev.

The Russians go.

A new dawn.

II. THE ECONOMY: BIG BUCKS AND WHO GETS THEM?

Afghanistan.

Central Asia.

Kazakhstan.

Kyrgyzstan.

Tajikistan.

Turkmenistan.

Uzbekistan.

III. ISLAM AND TERRORISM.

Afghanistan.

Taliban.

Islam and Violence.

Central Asia.

Post-communism or return to the past.

Islamic terrorists or drug smugglers?

The battle of Batken.

The insurgents return.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Conclusions.

IV. THE GREAT GAME: THE POWERS VIE FOR PRIMACY.

Afghanistan: the cockpit.

Central Asia.

China.

Russia.

Pipelines.

Peacekeeping.

Iran.

Turkey.

United States.

Pakistan.

V. SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 AND ALL THAT.

Afghanistan.

September 11, 2001.

Putin's Game.

US secret alliance in Central Asia.

Russian aid decisive.

The US and oil.

The end of the Taliban?

Guide to Further Reading.

Index.