Choosing defeat : the twenty-year saga of how America lost Afghanistan / Paul D. Miller, Georgetown University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, Paul David, 1978- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Afghan War, 2001-2021--Decision making.

Afghan War, 2001-2021.

Afghan War, 2001-2021--United States.

Nation-building--Afghanistan.

Nation-building.

Nation-building--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Afghanistan.

United States.

Afghanistan--Foreign relations--United States.

Afghanistan.

United States--Foreign relations--21st century.

Afghanistan--Foreign relations--2001-2021.

United States--Military policy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 529 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

A truly unique all-embracing narrative of the American war in Afghanistan from the own words of its architects. Choosing Defeat takes an unparalleled inside look at America's longest war, pulling back the curtain on the inner deliberations behind the scenes. The author combines his own extensive experience in the Army, the CIA, and the White House, with interviews from policymakers within the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, to produce a groundbreaking study of how American leaders make wartime decisions. Transporting you inside the White House Situation Room, every key strategic debate over twenty years - from the immediate aftermath of 9/11, to Obama's surge and withdrawal, to Trump's negotiations with the Taliban, and Biden's final pullout is carefully reconstructed. Paul D. Miller identifies issues in US leadership, governance, military strategy, and policymaking that extend beyond the war in Afghanistan and highlight the existence of deeper problems in American foreign policy.

Contents:

Myths and Mysteries of War in Afghanistan

2001 : Victory

2002-2003 : Neglect

2003-2005 : Refocus

2006 : Insurgency

2007-2008 : Counterinsurgency

2009 : False Start

2009 : The Hinge

2010-2011 : Surge

2010-2014 : Negotiations

2012-2014 : Transition

2015-2016 : Obama's Forever War

2017-2018 : Trump's Forever War

2018-2020 : Doha

2021 : Defeat

Why Did We Lose?

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 10 Oct 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-61434-7

1-009-61439-8

1-009-61438-X

OCLC:

1543150314