Full Description
What will the post-Taliban government of Afghanistan look like? How will the war in Afghanistan affect the already unstable politics of Central Asia? In War at the Top of the World , veteran foreign correspondent Eric Margolis presents a revelatory history of the complicated and volatile conflicts that have entangled Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States, the Soviet Union, and many others.
By 1999, Pakistan had proven they have medium-range nuclear weapons, and now the threat that their government could be taken over by a radical Islamic fundamentalist faction is stronger than ever. In fact, Osama bin Laden has already claimed to have a nuclear weapon. How could this have happened? Margolis plays witness to the escalating conflicts of the past decade, tracing disputes over Afghanistan, as well as those ever neighboring Kashmir and Tibet, back to their Cold War roots, exploring clashes that continue to threaten to destabilize the region today.
Combining vivid first-hand accounts of a war correspondent with a historical and strategic overview of the region, Margolis guides the reader through the geopolitical complexities of the area and its key players. He offers a clear, concise analysis of a complicated and little-understood part of the world that is home to a quarter of the world's population. Fascinating and now more timely than ever, War at the Top of the World is an extraordinary read for anyone interested in the current global balance of power.
Contents
Introduction: Black Tuesday
Part I: The Great Jihad
1. Soldiers of Allah
2. The Bravest Men on Earth
3.Dodge City Meets the Arabian Nights
4.Fadil the Kurd
5.The Secret War
6. Enter the Taliban
7.Brother Osama
Part II: Kashmir-War in Paradise
Prologue
8. The Kingdom of Sikander
9. Revolt in the Mountains
10. The Afghani
11. Deconstructing South Asia
12. The World's Most Dangerous Border
13. Paradise Lost
Part III: War in the Death Zone
14. The Road to Siachen
15. Musa the Warrior
16. The Hatred of Brothers
Part IV: The Roof of the World
17. The Forbidden Kingdom
18. India Awakes
19. The Clash of the Titans
20. Afghanistan: The War Without End
21. China Under Siege
22. The Fate of Asia
