The great river civilization of the Oxus is one of the forgotten jewels of the ancient world. In history, this grand arterial 1,500-mile waterway was always seen as the natural frontier between the no
On August 6, 2011, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter approached a landing zone in Afghanistan 40 miles southwest of Kabul. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce A
After decades of turmoil a new phase is opening up for Afghanistan, in which a new generation comes to the fore as many of the key players from earlier phases, including foreign interventionist powers
This collection provides a broad analysis of Afghanistan and its neighbors in recent decades and investigates the various historical and political contexts into which the region has been placed. It ex
This collection features articles, short studies, and interviews by Alexandros Petersen (1984–2014) and constitutes a broad and prescient examination of Eurasian geopolitics. The author analyzes
In 2010, U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Afghanistan began a new and innovative program to fight the Taliban insurgency using the movement's structure and strategy against it. The Village Sta
An anthropological investigation that explores the spiritual tradition of ancestors in Kazakh culture. Dubuisson argues that Kazakh life cannot be properly understood without grasping how the lived re
A pioneering study of kinship, patronage, and politics in Central Asia, Blood Ties and the Native Son tells the story of the rise and fall of a man called Rahim, an influential and powerful patron in
A pioneering study of kinship, patronage, and politics in Central Asia, Blood Ties and the Native Son tells the story of the rise and fall of a man called Rahim, an influential and powerful patron in
Waseem Mahmood lost almost everything when his brother broke a confidence and filed a story in the world's highest circulating tabloid newspaper, the News of the World. He feared he would never work i
Tamerlane ruled over one of the largest empires in history – an empire that stretched from Syria in the east to the fringes of China, and from southern Russia to northern India. He was a ruthless conq
The first rule of warfare is to know one’s enemy. The second is to know thyself. More than fifteen years and three quarters of a trillion dollars after the US invasion of Afghanistan, it’s clear that
Presents a first-hand account of the experiences of a trauma surgical team based at a field hospital in Helmand, Afghanistan, detailing the procedures they faced and their personal struggles.
“That Others May Live” is a mantra that defines the fearless men of Alaska’s 212th Pararescue Unit, the PJs, one of the most elite military forces on the planet. Whether they are rescuing citizens inj
In Knowledge and the Ends of Empire, Ian W. Campbell investigates the connections between knowledge production and policy formation on the Kazak steppes of the Russian Empire.
Airpower in Afghanistan 2005-10: The Air Commtmders' Perspectivespresents a candid and comprehensive commentary on what worked andwhat did not work during NATO air operations in Afghanistan. The keyto
