William Maley provides an authoritative account of the waves of conflict which, for nearly a quarter of a century, devastated much of the country. This new edition has been updated throughout in the light of the latest research and features a new final chapter which examines post-Taliban Afghanistan, bringing the story up to the present day. -- amazon.com.

Previous ed.: Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2002.

The road to war -- Soviet strategy, tactics, and dilemmas -- The development of Afghan resistance -- The Karmal period, 1979-1986 -- The Najibullah-Gorbachev period, 1986-1989 -- The road to Soviet withdrawal -- Consequences of the Soviet-Afghan War -- The interregnum of Najibullah, 1989-1992 -- The rise and fall of the Rabbani government, 1992-1996 -- The rise and rule of the Taliban, 1994-2001 -- The fall of the Taliban -- Post-Taliban Afghanistan.