March 19, 2003
My Afghanistan Trip
If you haven't noticed, I am on a sort of Central Asia/Afghanistan reading spree. The history of Central Asia -- "the 'stans" -- has been an area that I have been interested in even before 9/11. My interest was originally piqued by an excellent book by Peter Hopkirk: The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia. Hopkirk is a great author of history that reads like a thriller.
The "Great Game" was an euphemism (like "Cold War") for the covert intrigues of Russian and British spies in Central Asia around the late 19th/early 20th century. At that time, Central Asia was still a collection of small independant khanates that seemed stuck in the 16th century. These khanates had changed little since the Silk Road was obviated by sea trade. Britain wanted to keep Russia out to have a buffer between India and Russia, and Russia wanted to expand -- and maybe had their sites set on India. Afghanistan became a major pawn in the Great Game, and Britain fought (and ultimately lost) three wars in Afghanistan to try and secure their interests.
Posted by David at March 19, 2003 08:51 PM | EditHey Dave,
You ever read Robert D. Kaplan's work? A number of his books touch upon his travels in Central Asia. 'The Ends of the Earth' is a good one and covers the 'Stans as well as Western Africa, Turkey, and Southeast Asia. Good insights in that book in particular that frame the current crisis in greater detail.
I have "The Ends of the Earth" but have not yet read it. I have read Kaplan's "Balkan Ghosts" back when I was on my Balkans reading trip. I enjoyed his "travelogue plus a little history" approach.