The Afghanistan Papers
by Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post · first published 2021
80% recommend20% neutral
The groundbreaking investigative story of how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public year after year about the longest war in American history by Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock, a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. 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 officia
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The Afghanistan Papers[0] was a bit unnoticed by many people. It is well worth a read, especially during this time. There are many, many very interesting things in there, but I want to highlight one: General Flynn's 'Lesson's…
on “U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan” ↗Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency by Andy Greenberg The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock. Enjoyed both a lot over the Christmas break.
on “Ask HN: What should I read next?” ↗…Vaclav Smil - It is an interesting book because the author does not paint a rosy picture of what needs to get done to solve our energy and food problems in the coming decades. I really enjoyed it. The Afghanistan Papers - A book similar to the Pentagon Papers and goes over the 20+ year War on Terror in Afghanistan and how much it failed. I read a lot, but these were the some of the last couple of books I've read in…
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗The did an enormous amount of nation-building. Billions and billions and billions of dollars over multiple decades. It was just a complete and utter failire. The book “The Afghanistan Papers” covers the US’s misguided efforts there well.
on “It's Dante's hell – we're just living in it” ↗Michael Flynn's (yes, that Flynn) interview in the Afghanistan Papers is one of the more interesting accounts I've read of the war. https://archive.org/details/theafghanistanpapers_202001 That appears to be audio—I've only read the transcript, personally—but the text…
on “Afghanistan Meant Nothing: A Veteran Reflects on 20 Wasted Years” ↗