SKU: 64796315004

The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War

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The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the WarThe 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

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.

Review Citations:
  • Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2021 (EAN 9781982159009, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
  • Publishers Weekly 06/28/2021 (EAN 9781982159009, Hardcover)
  • Library Journal 08/01/2021 pg. 85 (EAN 9781982159009, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
  • Booklist 08/01/2021 pg. 6 (EAN 9781982159009, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
  • Shelf Awareness 08/31/2021 (EAN 9781982159009, Hardcover)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Craig Whitlock is an investigative reporter for The Washington Post. He has covered the global war on terrorism for the Post since 2001 as a foreign correspondent, Pentagon reporter, and national security specialist. In 2019, his coverage of the war in Afghanistan won the George Polk Award for Military Reporting, the Scripps Howard Award for Investigative Reporting, the Investigative Reporters and Editors Freedom of Information Award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for international reporting. He has reported from more than sixty countries and is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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SKU: 64796315004

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NLB
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Interesting
Format: Kindle
So I will say I enjoyed the story, for sure had its moments where it dragged but it was a great story. I really liked that omegas picked their alphas/make the pack. Normally the Alphas make it and the omega fits in with them which is great but I enjoyed this new version where all the power basically went to the omega. It was a nice change of pace. I can admit some of the weird bedroom stuff with her being pregnant was odd, it’s really not hard to do stuff when pregnant (I know I’ve had two and it’s normal and even encouraged at the end especially if you want the baby out). But I like the story as a whole and will read the second, I do hope the next one isn’t dragged bc it stopped being action or tense after she met her alphas and I don’t think it was brought up or properly done when they tried to do it. More sweet after she left.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
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Altairjones
Boise, US
★★★★★ 3
I’m a little disappointed.
Format: Kindle
I usually like Jillian West’s books but this one was missing a lot for me. The pregnancy didn’t come across as real. She’s on her feet for 12 hour days but is perfectly healthy at 8 months pregnant? Yet the week she moves in all of a sudden she’s not? She is planning on actually running during one of the plot buildups. But at 8 months pregnant that’s incredibly hard to do. The lack of breathing ability and lung space, the change in body center, mass, and gravity. All of it prohibits running, unless you’re an athlete this didn’t come off as at all realistic. I didn’t feel any connection with the alphas. There wasn’t any emotional connection. It could be because of the tense it was written in. But I didn’t get any deep feelings out of this. It came across as checking off boxes. Even the spicy scenes weren’t really believable for me. I wanted to see them fall for her, and it just kind of all fizzled. Even Bishop. One thing I did really like was the ending. I did not see it coming and I’m interested in reading book two because of it. But on the whole this book was mostly disappointing for me.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2024
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Melissa Williams
Boise, US
★★★★★ 4
4.25 stars
Format: Kindle
Vale is an 8 month pregnant omega working as a waitress at a strip club and a cam girl. She starts to get very creepy vibes from a regular at the club, and her baby daddy ghosted her. She has had an online relationship with a man named Bishop through her cam girl status. One night, bishop was paying to watch her sleep and ansthe creepy regular Andrew break in and watch her sleep he tells vale to come to him at his business now. She flees and finds herself at a large security company with some.hot of alphas who are there to help her. This imegaverse is a little different than I have read, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Vale is not a traditional omega she was raised by a single beta mom, and the alphas are not normal alphas they have never really loved pack life. But they are ruthless mercenaries. They need her, and she needs them. I love the aspect of the stalker and now the plot twists at the end, so so good. Sometimes, it seemed a little slow and stale mated, but since this a duet, I think It was just her starting to have Vale get to know her alpha suitors. Cliffhanger for sure with this one.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2024
A
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Austin & Cambria
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
That ending 😫
Format: Kindle
I fell into a false sense of security and really thought this was gearing towards a happy ending. Then I realized there’s no work they don’t punish Andrew. I really liked Vale’s character. I don’t normally read books with pregnancy but going into this knowing she was pregnant made it more enjoyable for me. I loved Bishops devotion to her and her happiness. I also loved that Holt and Mercy couldn’t fight their attraction to her. I love scent matches so very much. I’m so curious to see how this duet will end up. And I need to pay more attention and notice that a book I’m starting is a duet to begin with lol
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Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2025
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Sarah A
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
oh wow
Format: Kindle
I just knew there was something about Cooper! I’m wondering if he’s about to be included but damn I’m glad he’s at least not a rapist and creepy guy, he just got called on assignment and had to go! This should be interesting! She’s gonna run and then what’s his face is gonna grab her. I’m worried! Wow that was a great book and cliffhanger! Loving this!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2025

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