What does the future hold for the world's most unstable region? This title examines the changing casts of characters in this story, the future of the Taliban and international terrorism, and the political manoeuvring both within Pakistan and Afghanistan and among Western allies, offering a way forward for all countries involved.

An exploration of the overwhelming complexity of Afghan politics, this title explains how it came in to being, how it is sustained and how Osama bin Laden has risen to such a figure of absolute power. Ahmed Rashid clarifies the often confusing racial and religious tensions that dominate the fractious land, and describes why the drug trade has exacerbated an already untenable situation. Rashid argues that Taliban is incapable of reform, and that, in the crisis after the autumn 2001 suicide plane bombings, it may implode due to defections. With the Northern Alliance an unpredictable...