Afghanistan : graveyard of empires : a new history of the borderlands / David Isby.

Includes bibliographical references.

Contents: Glossary—Chronology—Out of the vortex (p. 1)—Part one : lands in the vortex (p. 19)—Chapter one : Afghanistan : a country defined by conflicts (p. 21)—Chapter two : dwellers in the vortex (p. 61)—Chapter three : Pakistan in the vortex (p 89)—Part two : threats from the vortex (p. 105)—Chapter four : transnational terrorism (p. 107)—Chapter five : Afghan insurgents (p. 130)—Chapter six : Afghan narcotics (p. 170)—Chapter seven : Afghanistan’s internal conflicts (p. 187)—Chapter eight : Pakistan’s insurgency (p. 244)—Part three : winning the conflicts (p. 289)—Chapter ten : aid and development (p. 333)—Chapter eleven : conclusion : the future (p. 368)—Afterword (p. 399)—Acknowledgments (p. 401)—Sources (p. 405)—Index (p. 437).

Summary: “Veteran defense analyst and Afghanistan expert David Isby provides an insightful and meticulously researched look at the current situation in Afghanistan, its history, and what he believes must be done so that the US-NATO coalition can succeed in one of the poorest countries in the world, rife with divisions that dwarf current schisms in Iraq, led by warlords who fight over control of the drug trade as much as they do over religion. After seven years and billions of dollars, the task of implementing an effective US policy and cementing Afghani rule is hampered by what Isby sees as separate but overlapping conflicts between terrorism, narcotics, and regional rivalries, each requiring different strategies to resolve. Pulling these various threads together will be the challenge for the Obama administration, yet it is a challenge that can be met.”—(from publisher description).