Author:Steve Coll
Winner of the the National Book Critics Circle Award for Non-Fiction
'Spellbinding ... a magisterial account of the great tragedy of our age ... it is a classic' Evening Standard
'In the finest traditions of American investigative journalism' The Times
'Spectacular ... makes Bourne movies pale in comparison' Financial Times
From the Pulitzer Prize winning of the acclaimed Ghost Wars, this is the full story of America's grim involvement in the affairs of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2016. In the wake of the terrible shock of 9/11, the C.I.A. scrambled to work out how to destroy Bin Laden and his associates. The C.I.A. had long familiarity with Afghanistan and had worked closely with the Taliban to defeat the Soviet Union there. A tangle of assumptions, old contacts, favours and animosities were now reactivated. Superficially the invasion was quick and efficient, but Bin Laden's successful escape, together with that of much of the Taliban leadership, and a catastrophic failure to define the limits of NATO's mission in a tough, impoverished country the size of Texas, created a quagmire which lasted many years.
At the heart of the problem lay 'Directorate S', a highly secretive arm of the Pakistan state which had its own views on the Taliban and Afghanistan's place in a wider competition for influence between Pakistan, India and China, and which assumed that the U.S.A. and its allies would soon be leaving.
Steve Coll's remarkable new book tells a powerful, bitter story of just how badly foreign policy decisions can go wrong and of many lives lost.
Stunning ... the best single-volume history of the war
—— Mark Bowden, bestselling author of BLACK HAWK DOWNA vivid and often captivating volume … a valuable resource
—— David Greenberg , New York Times Book ReviewWard and Burns take a vast topic and personalize it … an outstanding, indispensable survey of the Vietnam War
—— KirkusVivid, affecting, definitive
—— BooklistExquisitely written
—— GuardianWell-written and deeply researched, this history covers virtually every aspect of the French and American wars in Vietnam from 1945-1975, focusing mainly on military, diplomatic, and political issues…. Anyone looking for an expansive overview of the Vietnam War will find much to admire here
—— Publishers WeeklyHighly readable history
—— Ian Jack , London Review of BooksMust read: an affectionate and finely researched look at the BBC's inner workings during this critical period.
—— Jane Shilling , Daily MailBroadcaster Ed Stourton's history of the BBC during the war is rich in incident and character and almost makes you fall in love with the old girl again.
—— Choice MagazineLively...a definitive account
—— The i NewspaperThe BBC had a "good war". It generally gave a high-minded moral tone to Britain's war effort, entertained the people during dark and uncertain days and won their affection and confidence. In this engaging, balanced and thoroughly researched history, Edward Stourton, a veteran broadcaster, reveals how and why this occurred. It is a moving and amusing tale full of colourful episodes.
—— Lawrence James , The TimesBenjamin Carter Hett is one of the few historians who is able to think out of the box and knows how to tell a story well – without simplifying it. His new book tackles one of the most interesting questions in German history: How was it possible that an educated and developed country like Germany could fall for Adolf Hitler?
—— Stefan Aust, author of The Baader-Meinhof ComplexWeimar Germany… was arty, tolerant, and forward-looking. But other forces lurked. Hett explains these forces, and their devastating effects, superbly well.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardChilling reading … Serves as a warning to the West’s imperilled democracies … Faced with jingoist politicians who resort to poisonous lies, [Hett’s] book fairly proclaims, the forces of democracy can prevail only if they muster courage, resolve and cooperative spirit.
—— Roger Lowenstein , Washington PostHistories of Nazi Germany can be overwhelming. The Death of Democracy is carefully focused on the conditions and cynical choices that enabled Nazism, in just a few years turning one of the world’s most advanced and liberal societies into a monstrosity. Its author is also that rarity, a specialist who writes lucidly and engagingly. In this post-truth, alternative-facts American moment, The Death of Democracy is essential reading.
—— Kurt Andersen, author of FantasylandThe story of how Germany turned from democracy to dictatorship in the fifteen years following World War I is not a simple one. But the moral lessons are exceptionally clear. Benjamin Carter Hett honours that complexity in this account while never straying from the path of moral clarity. An outstanding accomplishment.
—— Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland and The Invisible BridgeHett’s brisk and lucid study offers compelling new perspectives inspired by current threats to free societies around the world… It is both eerie and enlightening how much of Hett’s account rings true in our time. The larger story he tells resonates, too.
—— E. J. Dionne , Washington PostA first-rate history lesson with a surprisingly prescient message for the world of today... Hett's sharp prose and careful use of newfound material not only sets the work apart from that of his peers, but also effectively draws significant (and particularly scary) parallels with current socio-political climates.
—— Essential JournalismInspirational
—— ExpressPowerful ... hard to put down.
—— Choice MagazineComparisons to Man's Search for Meaning are natural but this work has the potential to be even more bold.
—— Michael Berenbaum, Former Project Director, US Holocaust Memorial MuseumThe distressed fabric of the author's traumatic past becomes a beautiful backdrop for a memoir written with integrity and conviction...A searing, astute study of intensive healing and self-acceptance through the absolution of suffering and atrocity.
—— Kirkus ReviewsA splendidly colourful read ... an enthralling and resonant story of populist politicians, and religious war, and the reshaping of nations
—— BooksellerThis book’s fascination is as a joint portrait of the royal couple, the most human of historical actors in England’s greatest political drama.
—— Rebecca Fraser , The TabletA highly intelligent, fair and sympathetic biography.
—— Allan Massie , The Catholic Herald[ An] absorbing biography of Charles I
—— The TelegraphThis is a striking insight into both developing contemporary thought and religious controversies
—— Terry Philpot , The Tablet, **Books of the Year**White King is a lively attempt to make him [Charles I] flesh and blood
—— Robbie Millen , The Times, **Books of the Year**
zpostcode
Recruit
weather
mreligion
Yellowpages
sport
constellation
shopping
name
game
directory
literature
Word
tour
furnish
Lottery
tftnews
lyrics
News
digital
car
dir
Edu
Finance
