The American War in Afghanistan A History

Tracing the timeline of America's conflict in Afghanistan from 2002 to the present, an authoritative history of America's longest war.

The American war in Afghanistan, which began in 2002, is now the longest armed conflict in the nation's history. It is currently winding down, and American troops are likely to leave before too long-but only after an eighteen-year stay.

In The American War in Afghanistan, Carter Malkasian--at once a leading academic authority on the subject, a senior advisor to the US military command in Afghanistan, and former governor of a province there--provides the first authoritative history of the entire conflict. Drawing from a deep well of local knowledge and access to top decision makers, Malkasian moves through its multiple phases: the 2002 invasion and after; the reduction in America's presence after the 2003 Iraq invasion; the resurgence of the Taliban in the late 2000s, the Obama-era surge, and the various resets in strategy and force allocations that occurred in the 2010s. Today, the Taliban remains a powerful force, and sees victory as probable. The ultimate outcome after America leaves is inherently unpredictable given the multitude of factions there, but one thing is sure: America did not understand the enemy it was fighting, and mistakenly thought that Western imports like good governance and economic development could compete with the Islamist-inflected nationalism of the Taliban.

Wise and all-encompassing, The American War in Afghanistan provides a truly vivid portrait of the conflict in all of its phases that will stand as the most significant account of America's longest war for years to come.

Carter Malkasian is Special Assistant for Strategy to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford at the Pearson Institute. He is a former coalitions forces governor of Helmand Province, Afghanistan and the author of War Comes to Garmser (Oxford) and Illusions of Victory (Oxford).