Military historian Tanner narrates the military (and associated political) history of Afghanistan, the "Graveyard of Empires," from Alexander the Great's invasion of Asia in 334 BCE to the current American occupation. He chronologically covers the Afghan military adventures of Alexander and his Macedonian successors, Tamerlane, Genghis Khan and the Mongols, the imperial powers of the Great Game, the Soviet invasion, the rise of the Taliban, and the American invasion and occupation. If there is an overall lesson to the discussion, it is that the United States should concentrate its military power on rooting out the remnants of al Qaeda and not try "to wage war against an entire people who over 2,500 years of recorded history have always defied conquest." Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)