A review by melisacabelloc
The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock
3.0
While I think that this book portrays a good panorama about the Afghanistan War, particularly about how ill-prepared the US was (to the point where it suggests it was doomed from the beginning), I do think there are a few things that the book is missing.
The main reason for this is that the book mostly relies on testimonies from high-ranking officials, but wars never only involve them. There was a part in which a general mentions how soldiers were coming back on tours but with doubts about the US involvement in the war, but we never get any testimonies from soldiers on this, in fact, there are little to no testimonies or comments from ordinary, low-ranking soldiers. More importantly, there are no testimonies or comments from civilian Afghans, the people who were most affected by the war.
Additionally, the book mentions the tribal life in Afghanistan before the US involvement but gives very general details about this way of government or society, and while I understand that this was not the focus of the book I think that not including an explanation to this can lead to negative implications about different forms of societies (although I don't think this was the author's intentions).
I also think it's interesting that the book ended when it did, particularly because the final exit of the US in Afghanistan was so chaotic and well predicted in the book.
The main reason for this is that the book mostly relies on testimonies from high-ranking officials, but wars never only involve them. There was a part in which a general mentions how soldiers were coming back on tours but with doubts about the US involvement in the war, but we never get any testimonies from soldiers on this, in fact, there are little to no testimonies or comments from ordinary, low-ranking soldiers. More importantly, there are no testimonies or comments from civilian Afghans, the people who were most affected by the war.
Additionally, the book mentions the tribal life in Afghanistan before the US involvement but gives very general details about this way of government or society, and while I understand that this was not the focus of the book I think that not including an explanation to this can lead to negative implications about different forms of societies (although I don't think this was the author's intentions).
I also think it's interesting that the book ended when it did, particularly because the final exit of the US in Afghanistan was so chaotic and well predicted in the book.