The first authoritative history of American's longest war by one of the world's leading scholar-practitioners, this New York Times notable book of 2021 has now been updated to cover the final phase of the conflict. The American war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and ended in 2021, was the longest armed conflict in the nation's history. In The American War in Afghanistan, Carter Malkasian provides the first comprehensive history of the entire conflict. Drawing from a deep well of local knowledge and a rich array of primary sources, Malkasian moves through the war's multiple phases: the 2001 invasion and after; the resurgence of the Taliban in 2006; the Obama-era surge; the various resets in strategy that occurred from 2011 onward, culminating in the US exit from the war in 2021; and finally the calamitous ending. Today, the Taliban run the country, having achieved the victory they always thought inevitable. Although the al-Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden was killed and no major attack on the American homeland occurred after 2001, the United States was unable to end the violence or hand of the war to the Afghan authorities, which did not survive without US military backing. This new paperback edition explains why the war had such a disappointing outcome and also includes a detailed account of the end of the war. A wise and all-encompassing portrait of the conflict, The American War in Afghanistan will remain the authoritative account for years to come.

About the Author
Carter Malkasian, Special Assistant for Strategy to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Joseph Dunford), from 2015 to 2019. Carter Malkasian was the Special Assistant for Strategy to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, from 2015 to 2019. He has extensive experience working in Afghanistan through multiple deployments throughout the country. The highlight of his work is nearly two years in Garmser district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, as a State Department political officer and the district stabilization team leader. He is the author of War Comes to Garmser: Thirty Years of Conflict on the Afghan Frontier (Oxford University Press) and Illusions of Victory: The Anbar Awakening and the Rise of the Islamic State (Oxford). He has a doctorate in history from Oxford and is fluent in Pashto. He is the Chair of the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School in California.

Reviews
Malkasian offers a nonpareil history of a war that initially was viewed as one of necessity but increasingly became one of choice. His book sets the standard for all future works that will examine the causes and nature of yet another unhappy American military adventure on the mainland of Asia. * Dov S. Zakheim, Senior Advisor at CSIS and a Vice Chairman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, PRISM *
Penetrating...estimable...a broad-reaching and quietly authoritative overview of U.S. involvement, from 9/11 onward. [Malkasian] is good on military operations...No less important, he enlightens us on the Afghan part of the story - on the tribal system and its variations; on the forbidding geography, so vital in the fighting; on the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and his decision-making; on the complex and ever-shifting relationships between the government of Hamid Karzai and the warlords in the provinces. * Fredrik Logevall, The New York Times Book Review *
A full an authoritative account of US involvement in Afghanistan...Malkasian combines meticulous scholarship with a practitioner's eye. * Foreign Affairs *
A sweeping history of the 20-year encounter between Americans and Afghans...Malkasian is drawn to two conflicting, but not irreconcilable, themes: American officials made a series of colossal errors that continually frustrated their own goals, and the Taliban probably would have returned to power even if the foreigners had gotten things right. Perhaps both are true. * Foreign Policy *
A powerful new book. * Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post *
[A] comprehensive history of the longest armed conflict in US history...Malkasian gives a blow-by-blow of American phases of the war...A sweeping, deeply researched account that will gratify specialists and nonspecialists alike. * Kirkus, Starred Review *
A rigorous, blow-by-blow chronicle of the US war in Afghanistan...Synthesizing a vast array of literature from both sides of the conflict, including Oval Office transcripts and Taliban war poetry, Malkasian gets deep into the weeds, but offers a refreshingly nuanced and well-informed perspective. Foreign policy wonks will savor this comprehensive reckoning with America's 'forever war'. * Publishers Weekly *


Awards
Winner of Winner, 2023 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Awards, American Military History category.



Book Information
ISBN 9780197645499
Author Carter Malkasian
Format Paperback
Page Count 576
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 776g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 38mm