| Description |
ix, 561 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 25 cm |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 529-537) and index. |
| Contents |
Thinking about America's war in Afghanistan -- The country and peoples of Afghanistan -- The Taliban emirate -- The United States enters Afghanistan -- The Karzai regime -- Disorder in Kandahar -- The 2006 Taliban offensive -- Taliban rule, 2007- 2010 -- War in the East -- Taliban advances -- The Obama administration and the decision to surge -- The surge in Helmand -- The surge in Kandahar -- End of the surge -- Ghazni and the Andar awakening -- Intervention and identity -- The 2014 elections -- The Taliban offensives of 2015 and 2016 -- The Trump administration -- Peace talks -- Looking back. |
| Summary |
"The American War in Afghanistan is a full history of the war in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2020. It covers political, cultural, strategic, and tactical aspects of the war and details the actions and decision-making of the United States, Afghan government, and Taliban. The work follows a narrative format to go through the 2001 US invasion, the state-building of 2002-2005, the Taliban offensive of 2006, the US surge of 2009-2011, the subsequent drawdown, and the peace talks of 2019-2020. The book examines the overarching questions of the war: Why did the United States fail? What opportunities existed to reach a better outcome? Why did the United States not withdraw from the war?"-- Provided by publisher. |
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"The American war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001, is now the longest armed conflict in the nation's history. It is currently winding down, and American troops are likely to leave soon -- but only after a stay of nearly two decades. In The American War in Afghanistan, Carter Malkasian provides the first comprehensive history of the entire conflict. Malkasian is both a leading academic authority on the subject and an experienced practitioner, having spent nearly two years working in the Afghan countryside and going on to serve as the senior advisor to General Joseph Dunford, the US military commander in Afghanistan and later the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Drawing from a deep well of local knowledge, understanding of Pashto, and review of primary source documents, Malkasian moves through the war's multiple phases: the 2001 invasion and after; the light American footprint during the 2003 Iraq invasion; the resurgence of the Taliban in 2006, the Obama-era surge, and the various resets in strategy and force allocations that occurred from 2011 onward, culminating in the 2018-2020 peace talks. Malkasian lived through much of it, and draws from his own experiences to provide a unique vantage point on the war. Today, the Taliban is the most powerful faction, and sees victory as probable. The ultimate outcome after America leaves is inherently unpredictable given the multitude of actors there, but one thing is sure: the war did not go as America had hoped. Although the al-Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden was killed and no major attack on the American homeland was carried out after 2001, the United States was unable to end the violence or hand off the war to the Afghan authorities, which could not survive without US military backing. The American War in Afghanistan explains why the war had such a disappointing outcome. Wise and all-encompassing, The American War in Afghanistan provides a truly vivid portrait of the conflict in all of its phases that will remain the authoritative account for years to come." -- Publisher's description |
| Subject |
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- United States.
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Afghan War, 2001-2021.
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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Afghan War (2001-2021) (OCoLC)fst01695175 |
| Chronological Term |
Since 2001
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| Genre/Form |
Informational works.
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| ISBN |
9780197550779 (hardcover) |
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0197550770 (hardcover) |
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9780197550793 (electronic publication) |
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9780197550809 |
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