In the graveyard of empires
by Seth G. Jones · first published 2009
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This book is a definitive account of the American experience in Afghanistan from the rise of the Taliban to the depths of the insurgency. After the swift defeat of the Taliban in 2001, American optimism has steadily evaporated in the face of mounting violence; a new "war of a thousand cuts" has now brought the country to its knees. In the Graveyard of Empires is a political history of Afghanistan in the "Age of Terror" from 2001 to 2009, exploring the fundamental tragedy of America's longest war since Vietnam. After a brief survey of the great empires in Afghanistan-the campaigns of Alexander
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…that came and went leading up to 9/11 in the first book, and post 9/11 in the second. Descent into Chaos: The United States & the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan & Central Asia and In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan are also great reads about Afghanistan. Not as on topic, but still good would include The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth about…
on “Who Are the Taliban?” ↗…really very badly damaged by the 2008 bust. That means we can pay down the wars without learning that we're on track to get dragged down by a bloated security state. Heck, we managed to spend ten years in the Graveyard of Empires and all we learned were some cheesy anecdotes in a fraudulent book about tea drinking. And that generals shouldn't date their hagiographers.
on “At the RSA Security Conference, Things Get Testy” ↗