The conflict between the British and the Russian Empires for influence over Central Asia in the nineteenth century used to be known as “The Great Game”. It was no game for the unfortunate peoples of the region whose lands were, and have continued to be, fought over. This has been particularly true of Afghanistan, and so it is not surprising that the country is the subject of one of the first volumes in a series entitled Roots of Modern Conflict. With such a title, it is clear that the volume concentrates on the wars, whether international or civil, which have afflicted Afghanistan so frequently since the modern state was founded in 1747, rather than on other aspects of Afghan life.
The encyclopedia contains nearly 400 articles, varying widely in length, the shortest being definitions of 100 words or so, and the longest discursive articles of up to 7,000 words. One or two suggestions for further reading are appended to every article. No indication is given of the level of readership expected, but the text looks as if it is aimed at the general reader or the undergraduate student. Both text and bibliography are updated to August 2003 (coincidentally, just about the time the USA appeared to be losing interest in the country). The majority of the articles are on people, but there are others on provinces and cities, ethnic groups, tribes and languages, wars and treaties, political movements, and a few general topics such as geography and women. One depressing characteristic feature, remarked on by the authors, is the number of cases in which an article is incomplete because a contemporary politician seems to have disappeared without trace so that the encyclopedia cannot tell if he (it is nearly always “he”) is alive or not. Even in earlier periods, the reader will be struck by the number of historical characters who died either by violence or in exile.
The subsidiary material includes a substantial introduction summarising the history of the country from the earliest times, but emphasising the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; a detailed chronology on similar lines; a few maps (but strangely not a physical one); a number of relevant photographs of people and places; a classified bibliography, mostly of books with a few articles and web sites, all in English; a separate list of web sites, which provides only the URLs and not their names and descriptions; and a large – but not entirely comprehensive – index. Given that virtually all the rulers of Afghanistan from 1747 to 1978 were related, a genealogical table would have been useful, but it is not included.
The encyclopedia demonstrates that Afghanistan could never be a happy country. Even before the period of coverage, it had been invaded by Greeks, Persians, Huns, Arabs and Moguls in turn. It encompasses speakers of three principal and several lesser languages, and numerous ethnic groups, some of which overlap into neighbouring states. Its mountainous geography has encouraged ethnic and tribal division, and discouraged the formation of a stable state. More recently, the Soviet invasion and the resulting war left, it is believed, one and a half million dead, five million refugees abroad and two million displaced persons within the country – not to speak of the consequent economic and environmental crises. Following the Soviet withdrawal, Afghan society broke down entirely under the strain of the warring factions and their foreign backers. It is no wonder that the authors doubt whether further conflict (in a country where there is estimated to be one gun for every adult male) can be contained. Afghanistan is likely to continue to be a source of international concern, and this book will bring home to readers the causes of its troubles.
