Afghanistan; A Military History From Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban

Da Capo Press, 2002. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Good. Daniel Wanner (Maps). vii, [1], 351, [1] pages. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. Photo Section after page 220. DJ has some wear and soiling. Minor corner dings. Stephen Barrett Tanner is an American author currently residing in Sierra Madre, California. He served with US special forces in Italy in World War II and following his graduation from Yale University in the US Department of State [1] (1949-1969). As a military historian and freelance writer, Tanner has produced the following books: Afghanistan - A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban . It was reviewed in Times Literary Supplement. Epic Retreats: From 1776 to the Evacuation of Saigon; Refuge from the Reich: American Airmen and Switzerland during World War II and it was reviewed in Journal of Military History.; The wars of the Bushes : a father and son as military leaders; and (with Samuel A Southworth) U.S. special forces : a guide to America's special operations units : the world's most elite fighting force. Following the events of September 11, 2001, the world was riveted as American military power contested the legendary warrior culture of Afghanistan. By spring 2002, America began to draw down its forces, its mission accomplished: The Afghan Taliban regime has been overthrown and the terrorists it harbored were on the run. Was America's easy victory proof of its military superiority, or were the Afghans merely eyeing the newcomers as they have watched foreign armies in centuries past, knowing time is on their side? For over 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads not just for armies but for clashes between civilizations the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, and Tartars, and in more recent times, Britain and Russia. Now America must face a new enemy on this land a land that for centuries has become a graveyard of empires past. This first-ever complete military history of Afghanistan illuminates the broad historical context into which American forces have been drawn a cautionary tale, perhaps, about the dangers that may lie ahead.