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Description
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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★★★★★ 5
Cute
Wish it was a bit bigger. Currently works for what I was looking for.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Perfect!! I’m obsessed!
Size: Medium (6.8"W*4.4"D*2.2"H), Color: Beige
So cute and great for travel! Lots of organization areas, easy to use, very durable and not made cheap, the zipper closes just fine and it’s compact for traveling or storing under the sink.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Jewelry travel case
Size: Medium (6.8"W*4.4"D*2.2"H), Color: Blue
Well made. Useful for youth girls, lots of space for earing jobs, chains, rings. It's compact travel case very cute.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Great little jewelry box!
Size: Medium (6.8"W*4.4"D*2.2"H), Color: Beige
Great little jewelry box for quick vacations! Lots of compartments so my jewelry doesn't get lost or tangled! Love the pouch for bracelets, the hooks for my necklaces, the little board with holes for my earrings and the slots for my rings. Made really well and pretty also! Would make a Nice gift!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Necessary for travel
Size: Medium (6.8"W*4.4"D*2.2"H), Color: Purple
This is really cute and looks classy. Quality is very nice. The only thing is the hooks for the necklaces didn’t keep them on, but everything else about this is a must for traveling and not losing or tangling up your jewelry.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026