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The coldest I have ever been in my life was in the mountains of Afghanistan. I was in a helicopter with the windows and doors open. It was dark, the middle of winter, and I wasn’t wearing a jacket. But up there, something became clear to me: America is fighting its wars all wrong.…
Thus starts Joshua Foust's riveting and thoughtful account of the US military's engagement in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. In early 2009, Foust, a long-time analyst of Central Asian affairs and a respected blogger, got his first chance to go to the country he had been fascinated with for so long. He brought to the trip—and to this book—not just a wealth of knowledge about the country, but also an intelligence and sensitivity that informed all his writings during and after the trip.
"Foust’s unflinching willingness to highlight the paucity of understanding of Afghanistan in much of the contemporary discourse and to confront punditry passing for analysis makes this work important reading for those interested in better understanding the conflict."
—Leah Farrall, of www.allthingscounterterrorism.com
"After nine years of war in Afghanistan, the United States seems no closer to the proverbial light at end of the tunnel; and in Afghanistan Journal Joshua Foust vividly explains why. With the lacerating and intellectually honest tone that has long characterized Foust’s writing, Afghanistan Journal brings together four years of online dispatches that chart—in often stark terms—the many blunders that have characterized the US war in Afghanistan. It doesn’t always make for easy reading, but if one wants to understand why the United States military is losing the war in Afghanistan, Afghanistan Journal might just be the best place to start.
—Michael Cohen, senior fellow, American Security Project
"Joshua’s writing is remarkable.… His critical and analytical thinking skills really help readers gain a better understanding of the US military engagement in Afghanistan. Based on his experience on the ground, working as an adviser to the US Army, and on the passion with which he has sought to learn about the Afghan people and their culture, he presents a way of thinking about the country very different from the way it has been portrayed (or too frequently, neglected) by the mainstream media over the past few years."
—Nasim Fekrat, afghanlord.org and director, Association of Afghan Blog