a note on sourcesCollections (http://content.library.arizona.edu). Several former Afghan ministers
and journalists have recently published autobiographies that provide new insights
into the inner workings of government during the reign of Zahir Shah, President
Da’ud and the Communist governments.
The online Encyclopaedia Iranica (www.iranicaonline.org) is an essential
first point of reference for anyone serious about studying the region and I have
referred extensively to its many authoritative articles. For the situation post-2001
the publications of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (areu, http://
areu.org.af ) and Afghanistan Analysts Network (aan, http://www.afghanistan-analysts.
org) are another invaluable resource.