In this monumental, authoritative new history of Afghanistan, Jonathan L. Lee places the current conflict in its historical context and challenges many of the West’s preconceived ideas about the country. Lee chronicles the region’s monarchic rules and the Durrani dynasty, focusing on the reigns of each ruler and their efforts to balance tribal, ethnic, regional and religious factions, moving on to the struggle for social and constitutional reform and the rise of Islamic and Communist factions. He offers new cultural and political insights from Persian histories, the memoirs of Afghan government officials, British government and India Office archives, recently released CIA reports and WikiLeaks documents. Lee also sheds new light on the country’s foreign relations, its internal power struggles and the impact of foreign military interventions such as the ‘War on Terror’.

‘An epic achievement: at once a model of clarity, accuracy and balance … Authoritative and remarkably comprehensive, it deserves to become the standard English-language history of Afghanistan.’ - William Dalrymple

‘Well-written … rich in rewarding detail and will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Afghanistan.’ - History Today

‘Almost dizzying in its power shifts and conflicts.’ - Washington Independent Review of Books

‘Blends an eye for detail with a sense of the broad sweep of Afghanistan’s history…studded with memorable vignettes that suggest the ubiquity and persistence of human frailty.’ - The Sydney Morning Herald