Reddit reviews In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan
We found 3 Reddit comments about In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
If I may make a recommendation for reading more on this topic I suggest the excellent book In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan which gives a good background explanation of what has happened in Afghanistan.
Here are a few books that I recommend that are more academic in nature. Let me know if there is anything in particular with regard to either conflict that you would like.
Both Wars
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Bob Woodward | Obama's Wars | Outline of the U.S. foreign policy decision making towards Iraq and Afghanistan in the early years of the Obama administration.
Daniel Bolger | Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars | Bolger offers a unique assessment of these wars, from 9/11 to the final withdrawal from the region, and the shortfalls of U.S. strategy.
Iraq
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Michael Gordon | The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama | Follows U.S. strategic and political decision making process during the Iraq War and the U.S. occupation.
Peter Mansoor | Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War | An extensive outline of the development and outcome of the Surge during the U.S. Occupation of Iraq.
Emma Sky | The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq | As one of the longest serving diplomatic volunteers and a former opponent of the war, Sky provides unique insights into the US military as well as the complexities, diversity, and evolution of Iraqi society.
Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor | Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq | A definitive chronicle of America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq that traces the interactions among the generals politicians and reconstructs the principal battles from interviews with those who fought them.
Thomas Ricks | The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 | The author offers news-breaking account, revealing behind-the-scenes disagreements between top commanders and the internal development of the Surge strategy.
Joby Warrick | Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS | An historical look at how Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's leadership of become al-Qaida in Iraq would influence the rise of ISIL.
General Stanley McChrystal | My Share of the Task: A Memoir | A memoir of the former head of the Joint Special Operations Command during the Iraqi occupation who played a central role in defeating al-Qaida in Iraq.
Afghanistan
Author | Title | Synopsis
---|---|----
Thomas Barfield | Afghanistan:A Cultural and Political History | An examining of the competing cultural and tribal dynamics in Afghanistan's recent history through an anthropological perspective.
Seth Jones | In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan | Jones examines the insurgency in Afghanistan, arguing that weak governance and religious ideology, coupled with the American insistense on a "light footprint" are the primary drivers behind it.
Ahmed Rashid | Taliban:Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia | The authoritative account of the Taliban, explaining the Taliban’s rise to power, its impact on Afghanistan and the Middle East and Central Asia.
Ahmed Rashid | Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia | Rashid provides a detailed account of the regional context and interconnections of the Afghan conflict, insisting that the key to peace for the entire region lies with Pakistan.
James Dobbins | After the Taliban: Nation-Building in Afghanistan | Dobbins examines the first year of the intervention in Afghanistan and describes how inter-agency rivalry, aversion to nation building, opposition to the presence of peacekeepers, and refusal to send more troops and commit more resources undermined U.S. efforts.
Mark Mazzetti | The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth | An overview of the CIA's targeted killing program against terrorist organizations.
"Global War on Terror (GWOT) was known by those who fought it for long periods of boredom, punctuated by masturbation and enemy fire."
Seriously, there are so many viewpoints and critiques of the GWOT and implications of such an effort and progressing, globalizing world that Google really is your friend.
To give you only bullet points would be unfair. But I will toss a few good book links below.
http://www.amazon.com/Taliban-Militant-Fundamentalism-Central-Edition/dp/0300163681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405913163&sr=8-1&keywords=taliban
http://www.amazon.com/American-Spartan-Promise-Mission-Betrayal/dp/0062114980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405913151&sr=8-1&keywords=american+spartan
http://www.amazon.com/Horse-Soldiers-Extraordinary-Victory-Afghanistan/dp/1416580522/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405913294&sr=8-2&keywords=horse+soldiers
http://www.amazon.com/In-Graveyard-Empires-Americas-Afghanistan/dp/0393338517/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405913285&sr=8-1&keywords=graveyard+of+empires