To Lose a War: The Fall and Rise of the Taliban
Jon Lee Anderson first reported from Afghanistan in the late 1980s, covering the US-backed mujahideenās insurrection against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul. Within days of the 9/11 attacks, he was again on the ground as an early eyewitness to the new war launched by the US against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. At the time, the American military had prevailed on the battlefield, and the newfound peace seemed to offer a precious space for Afghan society to restore itself and to forge a democratic future. But all was not well: Osama bin Laden was still in hiding, the Taliban were stealthily reorganizing for a comeback, and the United States was about to turn its attention to Iraq.Ā To Lose a WarĀ collects Andersonās writing from Afghanistan over a near-quarter-century span, offering a chronological account of a monumental tragedy as it unfolds. The colossal waste, missed signals, and wishful thinking that characterized the twenty-year arc of the US-led war in Afghanistan have consecrated it as one of the greatest foreign policy failures of the modern era, and a bellwether of a larger American imperial decline.
PRODUCT DETAILS :
| ISBN : 9781804272435 | |
| BY (AUTHOR) Anderson, Jon Lee | |
| PUBLISHER : Fitzcarraldo Editions | PUBLICATION DATE : February 12, 2026 |
| COUNTRY OF PUBLICATION : United Kingdom | IMPRINT : Fitzcarraldo Editions |
| LANGUAGE : English | AGE : General |
| PRODUCT FORM : Paperback / softback | |
PRODUCT CATEGORY :
Biography, Literature & Literary studies
Society & Social Sciences
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Description
Jon Lee Anderson first reported from Afghanistan in the late 1980s, covering the US-backed mujahideenās insurrection against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul. Within days of the 9/11 attacks, he was again on the ground as an early eyewitness to the new war launched by the US against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. At the time, the American military had prevailed on the battlefield, and the newfound peace seemed to offer a precious space for Afghan society to restore itself and to forge a democratic future. But all was not well: Osama bin Laden was still in hiding, the Taliban were stealthily reorganizing for a comeback, and the United States was about to turn its attention to Iraq.Ā To Lose a WarĀ collects Andersonās writing from Afghanistan over a near-quarter-century span, offering a chronological account of a monumental tragedy as it unfolds. The colossal waste, missed signals, and wishful thinking that characterized the twenty-year arc of the US-led war in Afghanistan have consecrated it as one of the greatest foreign policy failures of the modern era, and a bellwether of a larger American imperial decline.
PRODUCT DETAILS :
| ISBN : 9781804272435 | |
| BY (AUTHOR) Anderson, Jon Lee | |
| PUBLISHER : Fitzcarraldo Editions | PUBLICATION DATE : February 12, 2026 |
| COUNTRY OF PUBLICATION : United Kingdom | IMPRINT : Fitzcarraldo Editions |
| LANGUAGE : English | AGE : General |
| PRODUCT FORM : Paperback / softback | |
PRODUCT CATEGORY :
Biography, Literature & Literary studies
Society & Social Sciences
