How to Lose a War

An incisive, authoritative account of the Wests failures in Afghanistan, from 9/11 to the fall of Kabul In 1958, Richard Nixon described Afghanistan as unconquerable. On 15 August 2021, he was proven right. After twenty years of intervention, US and NATO forces retreated, enabling the Taliban to return to power. Tens of thousands were killed in the long, unwinnable war, and millions more were displacedleaving the future of Afghanistan hanging in the balance. Leading expert Amin Saikal traces the full story of Americas intervention, from 9/11 to the present crisis. After an initial swift military strike, the US became embroiled in a drawn-out struggle to change Afghanistan but failed to achieve its aims. Saikal shows how this failure was underlined by protracted attempts to capture Osama bin Laden, an inability to secure a viable government via democracy promotion efforts, and lack of wider strategy in the war on terror. How to Lose a War offers an insightful account of one of the USs most significant foreign policy failuresand considers its dire consequences for the people of Afghanistan.