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Article: A tank, a tank, my kingdom for a tank. (Afghanistan civil war)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- February 26, 1994
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ANYONE trying to understand what is happening in Afghanistan could do worse than to read an account of the battle of Bosworth Field in England in 1485. As Afghanistan now, England was in a state of civil war. The faction of the king, Richard III, was being challenged by the faction of his rival, Henry Tudor. Richard foolishly relied on the loyalty of the Earl of Northumberland, and hoped that two local warlords, the Stanleys, would stay neutral. When battle was joined, Northumberland failed to support Richard and the Stanleys joined Henry. Richard was abandoned on the battlefield, giving Shakespeare one of his best-known lines, "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse", and ...