Full Description
This groundbreaking book presents the first comprehensive study of Mohammad Zahir Shah's forty-year reign, uncovering how conservative governance sustained the longest period of political stability in modern Afghan history. Challenging dominant narratives that portray Afghanistan as inherently unstable, it shows how Zahir Shah's pragmatic and traditionalist approach shielded the country from internal rebellion and foreign intervention amid the global crises of the Second World War and the Cold War until 1973. Drawing on a wide range of archival and scholarly sources in English, Persian, and Pashto, this volume offers a fresh and in-depth analysis of the last Afghan monarchy and the enduring lessons it offers for governance in Afghanistan.
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Inside the Kingdom: Domestic Politics under Zahir ShahChapter Four: Nation and Nationalism.- Chapter 3: Zahir Shah and the World: Afghanistan's International Position.- Chapter 4: Nation and Nationalism.- Chapter 5: State and Sovereignty.- Chapter 6: Political Regime.- Chapter 7: Women and Gender Challenges.- Chapter 8: Daoud's Impact.- Chapter 9: Conclusion.
