The American Presence in Afghanistan-Pakistan and the West Asian Expanse: Observations on Environment and Culture

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Abstract
A noted authority on the environment and culture of Afghanistan and Pakistan explores the environmental history of Western and Central Asia, as well as the human concomitants of the changes that have taken place there. The author discusses European relationships with, as well as attitudes toward, the region, as a prelude to consideration of the U.S. presence. After exploring the differing implications of folk (traditional) culture, particular attention is devoted to the impacts of American popular culture on a region in which growing numbers view the past as a model. After discussing America's increasing military, economic, and sociocultural engagement with the region, environmental rehabilitation is suggested as a vehicle for restoring critically important ecosystem functions and services while providing a productive alternative to prevailing patterns of American involvement.