The Afghan crisis has grabbed the attention of the entire world, and underlined the desperate need in the West for a better understanding of the region and its challenges in the face of increasingly militant interpretations of Islam. Carved up and fought over by the British and Tsarist Russia in the nineteenth century, and under Soviet domination for much of the twentieth, the lonely passes, deserts and peoples of the five Central Asian republics have remained shrouded in obscurity. Even Afghanistan, the site of almost constant conflict since the Soviet invasion of 1978, is little known beyond the media images of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement. Martin McCauley draws on his vast knowledge of the region and its history to provide a clear and highly readable account of Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tasikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, from their medieval pasts to the unpredictable present. Illuminating languages and landscapes, cultures and society, he examines the rise of militant Islam and its impact on the region, the push and pull of global economics and politics, and possibilities for stability in an inherently unstable part of the world.

AFGHANISTAN AND CENTRAL ASIA

Martin McCauley is the TV presenter's dream come true. A man who, be it late at night or the crack of dawn, can walk into a studio and talk with authority, conviction and not a little passion, about almost any aspect of international affairs. What is more, he does it in words of two syllables than even people in my trade understand. A talent which I feel sure will leap from every page of this study of Afghanistan.'

John Stapleton, Presenter, GMTV

The Afghan crisis has grabbed the attention of the entire world and underlined the desperate need for a better understanding of the whole region and its challenges. It is impossible to comprehend modern Afghanistan without a grasp of both its history and its place in Central Asia. Martin McCauley draws on his vast knowledge of Central Asia to provide a clear and highly readable account of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Essential background reading, this concise introduction outlines the colourful history of the region to the present and then examines the driving issues of today: oil, militant Islam, money, the Taliban and the international stage.

Martin McCauley is a specialist on the region and frequently appears as a commentator on radio and TV in the UK and in the US. He is the author of many books, including Bandits, Gangsters and the Mafia' (2001).