“Political stability has always been a central theme of policy for all governments and political system in the history of modern Afghanistan. Since its inception in the mid-nineteenth century, the country experimented with a diverse succession of political systems and state ideologies matched by few other countries’ political histories. In the span of less than nine decades from independence in 1919, the Afghan state was substantially restructured at least a dozen times…”—back cover.

“Includes bibliography”—(p. [177]-206).

Contents: Preface—Acknowledgements—Introduction (p. 1)—1. Afghanistan’s historic relations with Central and South Asia (p. 15)—2. Ethno-nationalism and development (p. 45)—3. Soviet occupation and transformation of Afghan-Pakistan relations (p. 67)—4. The Islamic state of Afghanistan (ISA), the Taliban, and stability (p. 89)—5. Regional cooperation and political stability (p. 125)—6. Contemporary Central Asia and Afghanistan’s stability (p. 153)—Conclusion (p. 169)—Appendix (p. 175)—Bibliography (p. 177)—Index (p. 207).