Empire And Tribe In The Afghan Frontier Region

Waziristan, a region on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has in recent years become a flash point in the so-called 'War on Terror'. Hugh Beattie looks at the history of this region, examining British attempts to manage the tribes from 1849 until Pakistan's declaration of independence in 1947. He explores British attempts to divide the frontier region into separate British and Afghan spheres of influence. In the minds of British policymakers, this demarcation would secure the position of the Empire, and so Beattie highlights the various policy initiatives towards the frontier region over the period in question. Crucially, he analyses how the British perceived the local tribes, what constituted authority within tribal frameworks, and the military and political ramifications of these perceptions. As he also explores the contemporary relevance of this region, taking into account the resurgence of the Taliban in Waziristan, Beattie's analysis is vital for those interested in the history and security implications of the Afghan frontier with Pakistan.

Describes British relations with the Pashtun tribes of Waziristan in the years after the annexation of the Punjab in 1849, offering the most detailed historical account that has so far been written of relations between the British Government of India and the tribes along this (or any) part of the north-west Frontier in this period.

A memoir of S. S. Thorburn's experiences as a British colonial administrator in Bannu, near the border between present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. Thorburn writes about the geography and customs of the region, its strategic importance to the British Empire, and his interactions with the local tribes. This book offers a fascinating look at a little-known chapter of British imperial history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This is a history and ethnography of the North-West Frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan, an area of increasing strategic interest to the West

In 1978 and 1979 revolutions in Afghanistan and Iran marked a shift in the balance of power in South West Asia and the world. Then, as now, the world is once more aware that tribalism is no anachronism in a struggle for political and cultural self-determination. This books provides historical and anthropological perspectives necessary to the eventual understanding of the events surrounding the revolutions.

Covering wars and conflicts of Afghanistan from the modern founding of the country in the 1700s to the contemporary struggle with the Taliban, this single-volume reference analyzes the causes and results of Afghanistan's wars and examines leading political and military figures, weapons, and tactics. Afghanistan has been embroiled in war and conflict throughout the latter part of the 20th century as well as the current millennium, but due to its location at the crossroads of Central Asia, Afghanistan has also endured repeated conquests throughout its turbulent earlier times. Examining Afghanistan's long military history through this book will enable readers to grasp the wider sociopolitical history of the country; appreciate the impact of these wars on Southwest Asia and superpowers such as Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States; and understand why Afghanistan remains a controversial battleground today. The alphabetically organized entries examine the major wars and conflicts of Afghanistan from the modern founding of the country during the Durrani Dynasty in the 1700s through the contemporary struggle with the Taliban. The book spotlights the role of key individuals in starting, pursuing, or ending conflicts, as well as their broader contributions to—or negative impact on—Afghanistan and the international arena. The work also presents essays that examine key subtopics such as weapons, tactics, ethnic groups, religion, and foreign relations. This allows the reader—whether a student, scholar, or member of a nonacademic audience—to examine a topic in depth and see how the event, figure, or movement fits into the broader history of Afghanistan.

This book explores why the Afghan-Pakistan borderlands have remained largely independent of state controls throughout the twentieth century.