Examines the Taliban and its form of Islamic fundamentalism, explains how the organization rose to power, and discusses its impact on Afghanistan and why the country has become a center for international terrorism.

Kandahar 1994: the origins of the Taliban -- Herat 1995: God's invincible soldiers -- Kabul 1996: commander of the faithful -- Mazar-e-Sharif 1997: massacre in the north -- Bamiyan 1998-99: the never-ending war -- Challenging Islam: the new-style fundamentalism of the Taliban -- Secret society: the Taliban's political and military organization -- A vanished gender: women, children and Taliban culture -- High on heroin: drugs and the Taliban economy -- Global jihad: the Arab-Afghans and Osama Bin Laden -- Dictators and oil barons: the Taliban and Central Asia, Russia, Turkey and Israel -- Romancing the Taliban 1: the battle for pipelines 1994-96 -- Romancing the Taliban 2: the battle for pipelines 1997-99: the USA and the Taliban -- Master or victim: Pakistan's Afghan war -- Shia and Sunni: Iran and Saudi Arabia -- Conclusion: the future of Afghanistan.