Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014 - Softcover

Farrell, Theo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1784701327 ISBN 13: 9781784701321

Publisher: Vintage UK, 2018

Synopsis

Chosen as a Book of the Year by the Sunday Times and the Evening Standard

It could have been a very different story.

British and US forces could have successfully withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2002, having done the job they set out to do: to defeat al-Qaeda and stop it from launching further terrorist attacks against the West. Yet over the following thirteen years they paid a heavy price for their presence in Helmand province; and when Western troops departed from Afghanistan in 2014, they had failed to stop a Taliban resurgence.

In this magisterial study, Theo Farrell explains the origins and causes of the war, providing fascinating insight into the British government’s reaction to 9/11 and the steps that led the British Army to Helmand. He draws on unprecedented access to military reports and government documents, as well as hundreds of interviews with Western commanders, senior figures in the Taliban, Afghan civilians and British politicians. And he demonstrates conclusively that the West's failure to understand the dynamics of local conflict in the country, and to tackle Afghan government corruption, meant that the war was unwinnable.

About this title

About the Author:

Theo Farrell is Professor and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at City, University of London. Previously he was Professor and Head of the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He conducted a number of studies in Afghanistan for British authorities and ISAF Command. He has published several books on military and strategic affairs.

Review:

"Masterful, irrefutable... [Farrell] records all these military encounters with the irresistible pace of a novelist." - Justin Marozzi - Sunday Times

"Authoritative and provocative... For its range and breadth, it is a tour de force and a must read" - Robert Fox - Evening Standard

"A devastating account of the Afghan saga" - Simon Jenkins - Guardian

"The best book so far on Britain's recent war in Afghanistan...also beautifully written...the new material which Farrell has unearthed is remarkable" - Tim Willasey-Wilsey - International Affairs

"There have been many books written on this subject, but Farrell's stupendous research, clear vision and succinct writing are likely to outlast them all" - Ahmed Rashid - Prospect

"Remarkable... It is full of anecdotes gleaned from hundreds of diligent interviews with the players on the ground. And for a devotee of military history, it is a delight... Farrell’s masterpiece of a must-read... Magnificent" - Sherard Cowper-Coles - The Times

"As a reminder of how not to prosecute a war in far-off place that has confounded the best efforts of many foreign powers over the centuries, Theo Farrell’s Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan 2001-2014...is surely the last word on the subject" - Justin Marozzi - Evening Standard

"Theo Farrell has written the definitive history of what was effectively the Fourth Anglo-Afghan War. His encyclopaediac knowledge of the thirteen-year-long struggle derives from interviewing many of the key decision-makers – on both sides - as well as an intimate knowledge of all the written sources. Well-sourced, well-written and riveting, Unwinnable should be studied by politicians and in military academies across the West. ‘How to’ books abound; this is the ultimate ‘How not to’ book." - Andrew Roberts, author of NAPOLEON THE GREAT -

"With its broad scope and detail, Unwinnable isakin to an official history in the finest of British historical tradition. In fact, whenever the official history does come out, it will find itself in stiff competition with Farrell’s work." - Carter Malkasian - Joint Force Quarterly

"This penetrating and superbly researched book explains how the United Kingdom came to intervene in Afghanistan, how it tried to meet its objectives, and why these objectives could not be achieved." - Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, author of STRATEGY: A HISTORY -

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage UK
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1784701327
• ISBN 13: 9781784701321
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512