{"product_id":"afghanistan-declassified-a-guide-to-americas-longest-war-paperback-softback-9780812223446","title":"Afghanistan Declassified; A Guide to America's Longest War (Paperback \/ softback) 9780812223446","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eAfghanistan Declassified\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Guide to America's Longest War\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eBrian Glyn Williams (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780812223446\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 27 July 2015\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e264 pages, 13 illus.\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.41 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"Williams's work adds personal experience and his deep knowledge of the culture and history of the country as he travels it, describing historical sites, a colorful, friendly people, and their sometimes friendly leaders.\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e) \"A useful, well-written, and well-researched primer on Afghanistan.\" (Peter Bergen, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al Qaeda\u003c\/i\u003e) \"[\u003ci\u003eAfghanistan Declassified\u003c\/i\u003e's] style, depth, and anecdotes make it a substantially better read than many other surveys of the country. . . . For what it sets out to do, it succeeds very well.\" (Ronald Neumann, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNearly 100,000 U.S. soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan at the height of the campaign, fighting the longest war in the nation's history. But what do Americans know about the land where this conflict is taking place? Many have come to have a grasp of the people, history, and geography of Iraq, but Afghanistan remains a mystery.\u003cbr\u003e Originally published by the U.S. Army to provide an overview of the country's terrain, ethnic groups, and history for American troops and now updated and expanded for the general public, \u003ci\u003eAfghanistan Declassified\u003c\/i\u003e fills in these gaps. Historian Brian Glyn Williams, who has traveled to Afghanistan frequently over the past decade, provides essential background to the war, tracing the rise, fall, and reemergence of the Taliban. Special sections deal with topics such as the CIA's Predator drone campaign in the Pakistani tribal zones, the spread of suicide bombing from Iraq to the Afghan theater of operations, and comparisons between the Soviet and U.S. experiences in Afghanistan.\u003cbr\u003e To Williams, a historian of Central Asia, Afghanistan is not merely a theater in the war on terror. It is a primeval, exciting, and beautiful land; not only a place of danger and turmoil but also one of hospitable villagers and stunning landscapes, of great cultural diversity and richness. Williams brings the country to life through his own travel experiences-from living with Northern Alliance Uzbek warlords to working on a major NATO base. National heroes are introduced, Afghanistan's varied ethnic groups are explored, key battles-both ancient and current-are retold, and this land that many see as only a frightening setting for prolonged war emerges in three dimensions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e Part I. The Basics\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 1. The Ethnic Landscape\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2. Extreme Geography\u003cbr\u003e Part II. History Lessons\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 3. Creating the Afghan State\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 4. Soviet Rule, the Mujahideen, and the Rise of the Taliban\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 5. The Longest War: America in Afghanistan\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Pennsylvania Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52555690770712,"sku":"9780812223446","price":21.56,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/afghanistan-declassified-a-guide-to-americas-longest-war-paperback-softback-9780812223446","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}