Explore Afghanistan through the written word and audio recordings
Through a variety of publications, CAS team members have helped academics, public servants, and the general public gain a deeper understanding of Afghanistan's language, culture, and history.
Transboundary Water Resources in Afghanistan: Climate Change and Land Use Implications
John F. Shroder and Sher Jan Ahmadzai (2016)
Transboundary Water Resources in Afghanistan: Climate Change and Land-Use Implications is a new book by John (Jack) F. Shroder, Sher Jan Ahmadzai, and several of their colleagues, taking a look at a vital resource of increasing scarcity in the world. Afghanistan, being at the top of the Hindu Kush watershed, is blessed with precipitation at the higher altitudes but starved for water in its lowland steppes and deserts. Inequality of water availability has long been a contentious issue in a region now caught in the throes of climate-change stressors that add to the volatile mix of ethnicities and religious ideologies contributing to much violence to the area. This book is divided into three parts: an introduction to the physical characteristics of water in the region; extensive assessment of issues of water management in Afghanistan and neighboring countries; and distance learning where necessary information and understanding about water can be transmitted electronically across borders most easily.
Natural Resources in Afghanistan: Geographic and Geologic Perspectives on Centuries of Conflict
John F. Shroder (2014)
Natural Resources in Afghanistan: Geographic and Geologic Perspectives on Centuries of Conflict details Afghanistan's physical geography — namely climate, soils, vegetation, water, hazards, and basic geologic background and terrain landforms — together with details of its rich natural resources, ethnic problems, and relevant past histories. The book couples these details with the challenges of environmental degradation and new environmental management and protection, all of which are considered finally in both pessimistic and optimistic modes. The reader comes away with a nuanced understanding of the issues that are likely to have great affect for this pivotal region of the world for decades to come.
The Dari-English Dictionary
Mohammad Nasim Neghat, Esmael Burhan, and Thomas E. Gouttierre (1993)The Dari-English Dictionary is the most up-to-date and complete dictionary of its kind. It includes 20,138 entries and accommodates the widest possible variety of users, including diplomats, government officials, world travelers, students, teachers, interpreters, translators, and linguists. Printed by UNO's Kabul Press.
$50 US, shipping included
Order here to take you to the UNO storefront
Dari for Foreigners (Book and CDs)
Esmael Burhan and Thomas E. Gouttierre (2005)
The Dari for Foreigners textbook and CD series is a basic course that emphasizes the spoken language and introduces students to the reading and writing system of Dari. Designed primarily for English-speaking students, the book uses the English alphabet to represent the sound system of Dari using a methodology known as the "most common denominator." Students are able to master the grammatical features of the language through a sound system that is familiar and comfortable. Printed by UNO's Kabul Press.
$85 US book only
$95 US book and CDs, shipping included
Order here to take you to the UNO storefront
Beginners Dari with Audio CD
By Shaista Wahab (2006)This popular introduction to Dari, which includes an audio CD, follows a step-by-step format. The first part teaches how to read, write, and pronounce the 32 letters of the Dari alphabet, and detailed explanations of grammar and syntax follow. Each of the 33 lessons includes exercises and vocabulary words to reinforce the lessons. Expressions and phrases are also included, enabling users to communicate on a basic level with other Dari speakers.
A Brief History of Afghanistan
By Shaista Wahab (2010)
This is a basic history book and a good choice for teens interested in an overview of Afghanistan from prehistory to 2006. The majority of the book focuses on the period from 1747, when modern Afghanistan was founded under Ahmad Shah, to the present. Wahab covers the Great Game between the Russian and British empires, the unrest of the 20th Century, the Soviet occupation of the 1980s, the rise of the mujahideen, and the Taliban era and the civil war that followed. The book contains dozens of black-and-white photographs as well as numerous sidebars on a variety of subjects from key figures to national flags.
The Kingdom of Afghanistan and the United States: 1828-1973
By Leila and Leon Poullada (1995)
A combination of memoir, personal recollection, and academic scholarship, this book is a historical study of the relations between these two countries. This case study of a U.S. relationship with a developing country vividly illustrates the cultural mistakes and misperceptions that affect American foreign relations. Ambassador Leon Poullada, a career U.S. diplomat who served in Afghanistan as an economic officer, and his wife, Leila, have provided the reader with the most comprehensive analysis and commentary on the subject to date. The Poulladas' personal study provides a foundation and extraordinary value for scholars, diplomats, and friends of the Afghan people.
