This series features Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin.

Check out Tim's book, Humanitarian Invasion: Global Development in Cold War Afghanistan here. 

Afghanistan History Reading List

Episode 1

Covers the major players in the formation of modern Afghanistan, its interactions with colonial powers, Afghan nationalism, the country’s role in the Cold War, and a number of other topics leading up to the 1978 coup.

Episode 2

Covers the Soviet Invasion of 1979, the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship, the major players in 1980s Afghanistan politics, ideological influences on the Mujahideen, and other topics leading into the 1990s civil war.  

Episode 3

Picks up at the collapse of the Soviet Union, the start of the Afghan Civil War, and goes into particular detail on the Taliban—their ascendance in the mid-90s, ideology, patrons, relationships with foreign powers and the Afghan people, and more.

Episode 4

Explores Bin Laden’s relationship with the country, from his exploits during the Soviet invasion, to his activity with Al-Qaeda throughout the 1990s. They also discuss the evolution of the Afghan opium trade, Taliban attempts at international recognition, the respective lives of Mullah Omar and Mullah Naqib, and more topics leading up to the 9/11 attacks.

Episode 5

Picks up on 9/11/01, covering the US invasion, the Bush administration’s crucial missteps early in the war, the rise of Hamid Karzai and building of a highly centralized government, the advent of the “signature strike”, and how the war shaped regional dynamics through 2005.

More episodes coming soon!