Pivotal events in economic history often pass with an almost surreal normalcy, only rarely evoking the drama of decisive battles or the excitement of great political moments. Nonetheless, economic events can impact human affairs just as decisively. The past quarter-century has certainly witnessed its share of fundamental political change and high military drama, but a strong case can be made that the economic changes that the world has experienced since 1979 are even more profound than the political changes that ended communist rule in central and eastern Europe and the revolution in warfare displayed in the Balkans, central Asia, and Iraq. The unhappy recent history of the nation of Afghanistan illustrates this point well.经济史上的关键事件往往以一种近乎超现实的常态过去，只是很少唤起决定性战役的戏剧性或伟大政治时刻的兴奋。尽管如此，经济事件也会对人类事务产生决定性的影响。过去四分之一个世纪当然见证了根本性的政治变革和高度的军事戏剧化，但可以有力地证明，自1979年以来，世界经历的经济变革甚至比结束共产主义在中欧和东欧统治和战争革命的政治变革更为深刻在巴尔干半岛、中亚和伊拉克展出。阿富汗最近不幸的历史很好地说明了这一点。