A paperback edition of Kaplan's 1990 report on the region with a new introduction and a final chapter on how the Taliban came to power. Kaplan combines a powerful eyewitness account of the Mujahideen with extensive interviews. An adventurous, scholarly journalist and prolific author, Kaplan's books include "Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus (2000)," "The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War (2000)," " An Empire Wilderness: Travels Into America's Future (1998)," 'The Ends of the Earth (1995)," "The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite (1993)," "Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History (1993)" and "Surrender or Starve: The Wars Behind the Famine (1988)."  (CAS81, $15.00)