This book has been complied when Afghanistan is once again passing through a most critical period of its history. In this study for the first time an attempt has been made to critically examine the genesis of crises in Afghanistan, its historical roots, conflicting geopolitical interest of big powers in the post cold war period. Its proximity to Central Asia which has rich rich oil resources, role of Islamic card and theory of ‘civilizational conflicts’ in th new phase, all these factors have been taken into account in this book. In this sense it seeks to analyse current and cross-current developments in Afghanistan within a non-conformist framework. What is new in this book is that it does not stick to old dogmas, like exclusive emphasis of geopolitical interest of one big power or the other or nature of the Afghan society. It presents a picture in totality and close interrelationship of various factors. The book highlights that the road of building modern nation-states in backward societies with rich civilizational heritage has its own problems. Perhaps, western models do not fit into such societies. This is the running theme of this book though various scholars and specialists have contributed their articles based on their independent studies. The book therefore, merits attention of experts on Asia, diplomats and policymakers of the developed countries.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR V D Chopra
V.D. Chopra began his innings, as Head of Economics Department in D.A.V. College in Rawalpindi. He was a political activist and a freedom fighter. In 1939, he was sentenced to 18 months, imprisonment for pulling down the Union Jack. In 1941, he was detained in the notorious Lahore Fort. He was again arrested under Defence of India Rules in 1942-43. The allegation against him was that he was organizing subversive activities in the armed services. He presented academic papers in various international seminars such as in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and erstwhile Soviet Union. He worked for Link weekly and Patriot daily for three decades in various capacities and rose to become the chief editor. He covered Arab-Israel war from Cairo and Indo-Pak conflicts in 1965 and 1971. He has been awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Peace Prize for his book India and the Socialist World in 1984. At present, he is Vice-President of the International Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies, New Delhi. He has authored and edited a large number of books during the last 20 years. The books relevant to the present volume include Agony of Punjab (1984), Studies in Indo-Pak Relations (1984), India’s Unity and Security Challenges (1984), South Asia in Transition: Conflicts and Tensions (1986), Religious Fundamentalism in Asia (1994), Genesis of Regional Conflicts (1995), Afghanistan and Asian Stability (1998), and Rise of Terrorism and Secessionism in Eurasia (2001).
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