Buy used:
$30.53
$3.99 delivery May 16 - 17. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by awesomebooksusa
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See more of our deals.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Theo Farrell
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014 Hardcover – September 7, 2017

by Theo Farrell (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 151 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition

Chosen as a Book of the Year by the Sunday Times and the Evening Standard

'Authoritative and provocative… For its range and breadth, it is a tour de force and a must read' Evening Standard

It could have been a very different story.

British and US forces could have successfully withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2002, having done the job they set out to do: to defeat al-Qaeda and stop it from launching further terrorist attacks against the West. Instead, British troops became part of a larger international effort to stabilise the country. Yet over the following thirteen years the British military paid a heavy price for their presence in Helmand province; and when Western troops departed from Afghanistan in 2014, they had failed to stop a Taliban resurgence.

In this magisterial study, Theo Farrell explains the origins and causes of the war, providing fascinating insight into the British government’s reaction to 9/11 and the steps that led the British Army to Helmand. He details the specific campaigns and missions over the subsequent years, revealing how the military’s efforts to create a strategy for success were continually undermined by political realities in Kabul and back home. And he demonstrates conclusively that the West's failure to understand the dynamics of local conflict in the country, and to tackle Afghan government corruption, meant that the war was unwinnable.

Drawing on unprecedented access to military reports and government documents, as well as hundreds of interviews with Western commanders, senior figures in the Taliban, Afghan civilians and British politicians, Unwinnable is an extraordinary work of scholarship. Its depth of analysis, scope and authority make it the definitive history of Britain’s War in Afghanistan.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bodley Head
  4. Publication date
    September 7, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1847923461
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1847923462
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Masterful, irrefutable… [Farrell] records all these military encounters with the irresistible pace of a novelist." - Justin Marozzi - Sunday Times

"Authoritative and provocative… For its range and breadth, it is a tour de force and a must read" - Robert Fox - Evening Standard

"A devastating account of the Afghan saga" - Simon Jenkins - Guardian

"Theo Farrell has written the definitive history of what was effectively the Fourth Anglo-Afghan War. His encyclopaediac knowledge of the thirteen-year-long struggle derives from interviewing many of the key decision-makers – on both sides - as well as an intimate knowledge of all the written sources. Well-sourced, well-written and riveting, Unwinnable should be studied by politicians and in military academies across the West. ‘How to’ books abound; this is the ultimate ‘How not to’ book." - Andrew Roberts, author of NAPOLEON THE GREAT -

"With its broad scope and detail, Unwinnable isakin to an official history in the finest of British historical tradition. In fact, whenever the official history does come out, it will find itself in stiff competition with Farrell’s work." - Carter Malkasian - Joint Force Quarterly

"As a reminder of how not to prosecute a war in far-off place that has confounded the best efforts of many foreign powers over the centuries, Theo Farrell’s Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan 2001-2014…is surely the last word on the subject" - Justin Marozzi - Evening Standard

"The best book so far on Britain's recent war in Afghanistan...also beautifully written...the new material which Farrell has unearthed is remarkable" - Tim Willasey-Wilsey - International Affairs

"Remarkable… It is full of anecdotes gleaned from hundreds of diligent interviews with the players on the ground. And for a devotee of military history, it is a delight… Farrell’s masterpiece of a must-read… Magnificent" - Sherard Cowper-Coles - The Times

"There have been many books written on this subject, but Farrell's stupendous research, clear vision and succinct writing are likely to outlast them all" - Ahmed Rashid - Prospect

"This penetrating and superbly researched book explains how the United Kingdom came to intervene in Afghanistan, how it tried to meet its objectives, and why these objectives could not be achieved." - Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, author of STRATEGY: A HISTORY -

About the Author

Theo Farrell is Professor and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at City, University of London. Previously he was Professor and Head of the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He conducted a number of studies in Afghanistan for British authorities and ISAF Command. He has published several books on military and strategic affairs.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bodley Head (September 7, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1847923461
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1847923462
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.18 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 151 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Theo Farrell

Theo Farrell

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
151 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Miriam Farrell
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical thriller
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent, informative read. It reads more like a thriller than an historical book. Highly recommend.
Helpful
 Report
Sharon L. Long
4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating read...
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
Impressively researched record of Britains role in the Afghan War. Farrell does an excellent job of explaining both the military and political aspects of the conflict. He lays out the history and tragedy of the war in a chronological style that is easy to follow. Very detailed. The book is reminiscent of works by fellow Irish writer Sean Naylor.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Hande Z
5.0 out of 5 stars Biting the desert dust
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2021
Afghanistan has the reputation of being the ‘graveyard of empires’, a description not unfamiliar with the British, whose empire had waged several unwon wars there before their latest expedition in 2001. How it all began in this latest venture, and how it ended with the familiar story of retreat, is the detailed story that Farrell tells in this long (425 pages) book.

He reminds us of the horrors of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the attack on the Pentagon, and the tragedy of Flight 93. Farrell provides a synopsis of Britain’s earlier wars in Afghanistan but moves very quickly to how the British government under Blair rushed headlong into this war in answer to the American clarion call. In so doing, Farrell reminds us that Britain forsook a cardinal principle – that Britain is incapable of conducting two wars simultaneously (in this case, in Iraq and in Afghanistan).

Farrell attributes two important factors that assured that this was to be yet another unwinnable war – the corruption of the Afghanistan government, and the support that the Talban had from Pakistan. The book covers the major military campaign and battles involving the British forces, and how it failed to hold on and win at least the region they were in charge of – Helmand.

This book ended with the British hand over of their Camp Bastion in Helmand to the Afghanistan government. America, on whose behalf Britain went to war, stayed the course, but six years later, are themselves primed to withdraw. Another empire crumbles in the Graveyard.

This is a book for military buffs, historians, and anyone who wishes to know the why and the how of Britain’s latest military venture. Farrell writes a detailed account in an accessible and lucid style. He deals with the acronyms and abbreviations very professionally, setting them out at the front of the book together with the maps.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

J. Baldwin
5.0 out of 5 stars A devastating critique
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a superb critical analysis of the war that has been waged by US, British and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Following the 9/11 atrocities, these forces have sought to prevent further attacks on Western cities by Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda jihadists given shelter by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The war has involved huge sacrifices, human and financial and, as Farrell demonstrates, it has degenerated into an aimless military campaign. He identifies the lack of any consistent strategic direction, unrealistic expectations, poor grasp of Afghan tribal politics, plummeting troop morale, endemic corruption of the Karsai government and deteriorating relations between government and military leaders as key factors that have served to undermine the effectiveness and integrity of the campaign.

'Unwinnable' is a scholarly study and is extremely well written. It includes many fascinating observations made by British officers, Western officials and Taliban insurgents who were interviewed as part of Farrell's research. He offers a meticulously detailed and authoritative analysis of the war in Afghanistan. But 'Unwinnable' paints a very bleak picture of the consequences of the failure to learn the lessons of history.
12 people found this helpful
 Report
Michael
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but poorly put together
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a very important piece of research. The author doesn’t get it all right but all of the main elements are there. Not a great read unfortunately with the research just poured onto the page but a vital read nevertheless for anyone with an interest in the subject, and a must read for British Army officers.
Report
Miss Nesbitt
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read to understand just what happened..
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Thoroughly well researched, incredible back story to what has happened. Afghanistan should not have happened this fourth time round - I am teaching myself slowly but surely how we have come to be where we are with regards Afghanistan and this is a must read. I haven't finished this yet, am halfway through, some of the military terminology has me stumped. I have been googling different helicopters, weapons and such like but the story is vital. $86 billion is what America spent on it... Britain spent £36 billion. Unreal.
4 people found this helpful
 Report
Cherry Boa
5.0 out of 5 stars Unmissable!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is the most amazing book. It is incredibly well written - a page turner - and, for me is an explanation of how we got to be in the difficulties in current world relations.
Report
stanretoma
4.0 out of 5 stars Critical but realist
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Excellent critique of Bush/Blair leading us into a war the UK treasury knew it could not afford. Cheques signed in the blood of soldiers.
One person found this helpful
 Report