Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Books and Media A brief history of Afghanistan Gender aspects: not very integrated Rwanda: a record of genocide Documents: from peacekeeping to development policy New chatroom for North-South topics 12/2004		A brief history of Afghanistan Conrad Schetter: Kleine Geschichte Afghanistans [A brief history of Afghanistan]. Munich, C.H. Beck 2004, 157 pp., ¤ 9.90, ISBN 3-406-51076-0 Conrad Schetter’s brief history of Afghanistan arouses curiosity and understanding for the country but inspires no hope for swift solutions of its problems. The Afghanistan the author depicts is a political construct with traditionally high potential for violence and little social cohesion, a state in whose internal affairs world powers and neighbours have almost routinely interfered. Schetter describes how the British and Russians vied for supremacy in the 19th century and ultimately created the fragile Kingdom of Afghanistan. In the 20th century, in the wake of the Soviet invasion, conflict escalated into a decades-long civil war – with inglorious roles for the United States, but also Pakistan and other neighbouring countries. For anyone whose memory of Afghanistan’s troubles over the last quarter of a century is confined to the headlines, this book provides a clear and concise explanation of the background. (dem)