Afghanistan

The Nations in Transition series explores the independent governments formed after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Central Asia. The series is designed to give readers and researchers clear and thought-provoking portraits of each of these nations. Each volume surveys the history, culture, and political and social changes of the past few years and includes 25-35 photographs, a chronology of key events, easy-to-understand maps, and a further reading section. Since 2001, events have put Afghanistan on the front pages of the world's newspapers again and again. With the U.S. assault on the Taliban and search for terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, repeated attempts on the life of the U.S.-backed interim leader Hamid Karzai, and infighting between local warlords over power and territory, the people of Afghanistan continue their struggle for survival. This new volume in the Nations in Transition series provides an in-depth examination of Afghanistan's long history and the traditions, religions, and cultural heritage of its many ethnic groups. It examines the different factions vying for power in Afghanistan today, as well as the difficulties Afghan people encounter in their daily life, and it outlines the staggering problems that the country faces .