The groundbreaking investigative story of how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public year after year about America’s longest war, foreshadowing the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan, by Washington Post reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Whitlock.Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: to defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives. Distracted by the war in Iraq, the US military became mired in an unwinnable guerrilla conflict in a country it did not understand. But no president wanted to admit failure, especially in a war that began as a just cause. Instead, the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations sent more and more troops to Afghanistan and repeatedly said they were making progress, even though they knew there was no realistic prospect for an outright victory. Just as the Pentagon Papers changed the public’s understanding of Vietnam,
The Afghanistan Papers contains startling revelation after revelation from people who played a direct role in the war, from leaders in the White House and the Pentagon to soldiers and aid workers on the front lines. In unvarnished language, they admit that the US government’s strategies were a mess, that the nation-building project was a colossal failure, and that drugs and corruption gained a stranglehold over their allies in the Afghan government. All told, the account is based on interviews with more than 1,000 people who knew that the US government was presenting a distorted, and sometimes entirely fabricated, version of the facts on the ground. Documents unearthed by
The Washington Post reveal that President Bush didn’t know the name of his Afghanistan war commander—and didn’t want to make time to meet with him. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted he had “no visibility into who the bad guys are.” His successor, Robert Gates, said: “We didn’t know jack shit about al-Qaeda.”
The Afghanistan Papers is a shocking account that will supercharge a long overdue reckoning over what went wrong and forever change the way the conflict is remembered.
Delve into the U.S. War in Afghanistan with "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War" by The Washington Post
Uncover the hidden truths of the U.S. war in Afghanistan through the revealing pages of "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War" by The Washington Post. This groundbreaking work, based on a trove of leaked government documents, exposes the unvarnished reality of America's longest war, spanning two decades of conflict.
Through meticulous research and in-depth analysis, "The Afghanistan Papers" unveils the stark contrast between the public narrative and the actual events on the ground. It exposes a war characterized by staggering costs, both in human lives and financial resources, with questionable achievements and a profound impact on the lives of countless Afghans.
The book meticulously dissects the decision-making processes, failed strategies, and missed opportunities that plagued the U.S. military and political leadership. It sheds light on the intelligence failures, flawed assumptions, and the lack of accountability that contributed to the protracted conflict.
With gripping narrative and compelling evidence, "The Afghanistan Papers" serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of misjudgments and miscalculations in warfare. It challenges readers to confront the complexities of modern warfare and the human toll it inflicts.
Delve into this essential read to gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, its profound implications, and the lessons that must be learned to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
