Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan
£9.60£10.40 (-8%)
Afghanistan was an unwinnable war. As British and American troops withdraw, discover this definitive account that explains why.
It could have been a very different story. British forces could have successfully withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2002, having done the job they set out to do: to defeat al-Qaeda. Instead, in the years that followed, Britain paid a devastating price for their presence in Helmand province.
So why did Britain enter, and remain, in an ill-fated war? Why did it fail so dramatically, and was this expedition doomed from the beginning? Drawing on unprecedented access to military reports, government documents and senior individuals, Professor Theo Farrell provides an extraordinary work of scholarship. He explains the origins of the war, details the campaigns over the subsequent years, and examines the West’s failure to understand the dynamics of local conflict and learn the lessons of history that ultimately led to devastating costs and repercussions still relevant today.
‘The best book so far on Britain’s…war in Afghanistan’ International Affairs
‘Masterful, irrefutable… Farrell records all these military encounters with the irresistible pace of a novelist’ Sunday Times
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Vintage (6 Sept. 2018) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 608 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1784701327 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1784701321 |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 3.81 x 19.69 cm |
by Squirrel
Whilst this is in many ways one of the better and more informative books on the subject potential buyers should be aware that it takes a clear position. The author’s title clearly indicates his view of the struggle. Whilst he may well be right the text clearly sets out to sustain this view. Many reviews have described the book as impartial; that is not fully sustainable since it clearly is to a degree polemical. There is nothing wrong with history that is provocative and advocates an interpretation but the reader should recognise that. The war may well have been unwinnable – every previous engagement in Afghanistan proved so to be – but in the political context, however misguided, it may been also a war unavoidable. The politicians gave the military a poisoned chalice.
by stanretoma
Excellent critique of Bush/Blair leading us into a war the UK treasury knew it could not afford. Cheques signed in the blood of soldiers.
by Miss Nesbitt
Thoroughly well researched, incredible back story to what has happened. Afghanistan should not have happened this fourth time round – I am teaching myself slowly but surely how we have come to be where we are with regards Afghanistan and this is a must read. I haven’t finished this yet, am halfway through, some of the military terminology has me stumped. I have been googling different helicopters, weapons and such like but the story is vital. $86 billion is what America spent on it… Britain spent £36 billion. Unreal.
by Hande Z
Afghanistan has the reputation of being the ‘graveyard of empires’, a description not unfamiliar with the British, whose empire had waged several unwon wars there before their latest expedition in 2001. How it all began in this latest venture, and how it ended with the familiar story of retreat, is the detailed story that Farrell tells in this long (425 pages) book.
He reminds us of the horrors of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the attack on the Pentagon, and the tragedy of Flight 93. Farrell provides a synopsis of Britain’s earlier wars in Afghanistan but moves very quickly to how the British government under Blair rushed headlong into this war in answer to the American clarion call. In so doing, Farrell reminds us that Britain forsook a cardinal principle – that Britain is incapable of conducting two wars simultaneously (in this case, in Iraq and in Afghanistan).
Farrell attributes two important factors that assured that this was to be yet another unwinnable war – the corruption of the Afghanistan government, and the support that the Talban had from Pakistan. The book covers the major military campaign and battles involving the British forces, and how it failed to hold on and win at least the region they were in charge of – Helmand.
This book ended with the British hand over of their Camp Bastion in Helmand to the Afghanistan government. America, on whose behalf Britain went to war, stayed the course, but six years later, are themselves primed to withdraw. Another empire crumbles in the Graveyard.
This is a book for military buffs, historians, and anyone who wishes to know the why and the how of Britain’s latest military venture. Farrell writes a detailed account in an accessible and lucid style. He deals with the acronyms and abbreviations very professionally, setting them out at the front of the book together with the maps.
by J. Baldwin
This is a superb critical analysis of the war that has been waged by US, British and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Following the 9/11 atrocities, these forces have sought to prevent further attacks on Western cities by Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda jihadists given shelter by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The war has involved huge sacrifices, human and financial and, as Farrell demonstrates, it has degenerated into an aimless military campaign. He identifies the lack of any consistent strategic direction, unrealistic expectations, poor grasp of Afghan tribal politics, plummeting troop morale, endemic corruption of the Karsai government and deteriorating relations between government and military leaders as key factors that have served to undermine the effectiveness and integrity of the campaign.
‘Unwinnable’ is a scholarly study and is extremely well written. It includes many fascinating observations made by British officers, Western officials and Taliban insurgents who were interviewed as part of Farrell’s research. He offers a meticulously detailed and authoritative analysis of the war in Afghanistan. But ‘Unwinnable’ paints a very bleak picture of the consequences of the failure to learn the lessons of history.
by Michael
This is a very important piece of research. The author doesn’t get it all right but all of the main elements are there. Not a great read unfortunately with the research just poured onto the page but a vital read nevertheless for anyone with an interest in the subject, and a must read for British Army officers.
by Holden m groin
A devastating critique of Britain’s most senseless military adventure in recent memory. What were they thinking of? Endless blood and treasure poured into a medieval quagmire. Thousands of young lives and countless billions spent on a useless attempt to drag these people out of the Stone Age. I bet those responsible do not sleep easy and in case there is a maker they are putting a lot of thought into getting their story straight for the day they meet
by Mrs M Proffitt
Really interesting book. I felt I needed to get to them bottom of cAfghanistans war history. It was a really interesting read . It enlightened me on lots of issues that I hadn’t thoroughly understood previously.