Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-122) and index.

Afghanistan's troubled history / Martin Ewans. -- The Soviet invasion and the rise of Islamic terrorism / Michael Binyon. -- The rise of the Taliban / Peter Marsden. -- The U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan and the fall of the Taliban / Stephen Tanner. -- Pakistan may have supported the Taliban and international terrorists / Elizabeth Rubin. -- The United States and Afghanistan must work together for stability in Afghanistan / George W. Bush and Hamid Karzai. -- Afghanistan's interim government is flawed / Larry P. Goodson. -- The international community should not attempt to impose democracy on Afghanistan / Marina Ottaway and Anatol Lieven. -- The women of Afghanistan face new challenges after the Taliban defeat / Natasha Walter. -- Afghanistan remains oppressed by fundamentalists / the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. -- A stable Afghanistan is crucial to the peace of Central Asia / Ahmed Rashid. -- The war in Afghanistan has resulted in an increased U.S. military presence in Central Asia / J. Eric Duskin. -- The small arms trade in Afghanistan is a threat to peace / Ken Silverstein.