Revolution Unending: Afghanistan 1979 to the Present (CERI) - Hardcover

Dorronsoro, Gilles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1850656835 ISBN 13: 9781850656838

Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2005

Synopsis

The defeat of the Greek armies in Asia Minor in August 1922, leading to what the Greeks call 'the Asia Minor Catastrophe', led directly to the flight of Greek refugees from Asia Minor, the compulsory exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey and the resettlement in Greece of 1,300,000 displaced people. This is the great theme of this book, which now makes a reappearance four decades after its original publication. Pentzopoulos sets out the background and the facts of the exchange and refugee settlement, and analyses the ethnological, economic, political, social and cultural impact. The book is an essential reference work for the study of modern Greece, and complements the historical study of the 1922 Catastrophe, Ionian Vision (Hurst, [1973] 1998), by Michael Llewellyn Smith, who contributes a new preface to this volume.

About this title

Book Description

Having traveled and researched in Afghanistan since 1988, Gilles Dorronsoro has developed a rich and nuanced understanding of the country's history and people. In Revolution Unending he draws on his extensive firsthand experience to consider the political, historical, economic, and ethnic factors that will influence Afghanistan's future. He argues that U.S. optimism about Afghanistan following Western intervention and recent elections fails to appreciate the divisions that continue to define the country.While not underestimating the oft-cited "ethnic factor" in Afghan politics, especially Pashtun dominance, Dorronsoro argues that class and the competition for employment and education are key factors in explaining the country's recent past. The 1990s saw the triumph of religious authorities (the ulema) and the marginalization of the traditional elites. With coalition intervention in 2001 and the subsequent deposition of the ulema-dominated Taliban, the educated elites are back in power. However, as Dorronsoro argues, patching up the country by means of short-term ethnic alliances and a new division of the spoils will only perpetuate the schisms in society. The Afghan civil war, Dorronsoro suggests, is set to continue and perhaps worsen over time.

About the Author

Gilles Dorronsoro is professor of political science at the University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne). He is a prominent expert on contemporary Afghan politics who has lecture throughout the world. This book is a revised and expanded version of Dorronsoro's La Revolution Afghane: Des Communistes aux Talebans (2000). He is cofounder of the European Journal of Turkish Studies.

Edition details

• Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1850656835
• ISBN 13: 9781850656838
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 370