TANRevealed


understand why peace and stability in the region have been so elusive. It is also an indispensable tool for foreign and Afghan policymakers who play a role in determining Afghanistan’s future.


Excerpts from the book A Brief History of Afghanistan: from the Dawn of Time until 1901 by Bijan Omrani


Before one sets out to investigate Afghanistan and its past, there are two pieces of advice it would be well to bear in mind. The first is not to be daunted by its complexity. The second piece of advice is always to bear in mind the long historical view. The forces of geography and politics which act on Afghanistan now have been remarkably consistent and coherent over the last 3,000 years. Many of the conflicts which Afghanistan is now enduring are in essence reincarnations of those which it has seen many times before.


The main factor dictating Afghanistan’s history is its position at the heart of Asia. The land of Afghanistan is, in the words of the historian Arnold Toynbee, “a roundabout of empires”.


Dancing with Darkness: the Role of Women in Afghan Society by Dr Magsie Hamilton Little


It remains a fact, that Afghanistan is a very hard place to live in as a woman. A new code of conduct established by President Hamid Karzai in March 2012 stipulated that Afghan women should not travel without a male companion, and even then should not mingle with strange men in places such as markets, offices and schools. These rules, President


www.raf-ff.org.uk Envoy Spring 2013 13


Karzai argued, were consistent with the laws of Islam. So women in Afghanistan are still not allowed to venture far afield, meet a man or take part in various activities, without the permission of the male head of the house, whether husband, father or brother.


Afghan Endgame by Ahmed Rashid


The last 11 years have seen the Taliban transform, expand and turn itself into a franchise. The Taliban ideology has changed from being hardcore jihadist to increasingly Afghan nationalist fighting a war of liberation against a foreign occupation – just as the Afghans fought the Soviet Union in the 1980s and forced their withdrawal. Many in the Taliban rank and file make up what is essentially a peasant army of illiterate and not particularly ideological fighters, but what binds them together is hatred of the foreigners.


The Ebook is available in two formats: Amazon Kindle and other e-readers (ISBN: 9780957111677) iBooks eBook for iPad (ISBN: 9780957111684)


www.cruxpublishing.co.uk/books


To find out more about the Afghan Appeal Fund www.afghanappealfund.org.uk  


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