«'Nunan unexpectedly presents the political and present-day issues with researching history in both a global and development context. Due to the history of development and the Cold War, 'failed states' and 'unfriendly regimes' create situations in which historians must decide how to advance their research. In Nunan's case, he continued his work and visited Central Asian, Russian, and Indian archives, in addition to interviewing local people while he was in-country. By not allowing 'failed state' diplomacy and politics to hinder academic research, he manages to bring a nuanced approach to the historiography of development and Afghanistan.' Ryan Glauser, Global Histories»

«'Beautifully written and the product of unique and prodigious research, Humanitarian Invasion enhances our understanding of the Soviet Union in the world, while poignantly chronicling the long-term collapse of the Afghan state. With this book, Timothy Nunan has made a critical contribution to our understanding of modern international history.' Robert Rakove, Stanford University, California»

«'This is a truly fascinating, impressively researched work. Its highly original perspective illuminates not only the modern history of Afghanistan, but also the wider history of geopolitically-driven development missions in what we used to call the 'Third World'.' Anatol Lieven, author of Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power and Pakistan: A Hard Country»

«'A groundbreaking study of a little understood experience of modernity in what used to be called the third world.' Pankaj Mishra, The Guardian Best Books of the Year (www.theguardian.com)»