The majority of the short articles, essays and interviews selected for this two-part e-book were composed in Afghanistan and in Iraq and/or prior to and after multiple sees to both nations.
The 21st century, geopolitically, up until now has actually been formed by the U.S.- crafted Permanently Wars.
Forever Wars: Afghanistan-Iraq, part 2, varying from 2004 to 2021, is the fourth in a series of e-books recuperating the Pepe Escobar archives on Asia Times.
The archives track a duration of twenty years– starting with the columns and stories released under The Roving Eye sign in the previous Asia Times Online from 2001 all the way to early 2015.
The first e-book, Shadow Play, tracked the interaction between China, Russia and the U.S. in between 2017-2020.
The 2nd, Persian Miniatures, tracked the Islamic Republic of Iran throughout the “axis of evil” age, the Ahmadinejad years, the nuclear offer, and “maximum pressure” enforced by the Trump administration.
Permanently Wars is divided in two parts, closely tracking Afghanistan and Iraq.
Forever Wars, part 1 begins one month prior to 9/11 in the heart of Afghanistan, and goes all the way to 2004.
Part 2, modified by my Asia Times associate Bradley Martin, starts with the Abu Ghraib scandal and the Taliban experiences in Texas and goes all the method to the “Saigon moment” and the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The unifying idea behind this e-book series is quite a challenge: to recover the enjoyment of what is written as “the first draft of History”.
You might check out the whole two-volume collection chronologically, as a thriller, following in information all the plot twists and cliffhangers.
Or you may read it in a self-service way, choosing a date or a specific theme.
On part 1, you will find the last interview by commander Massoud in the Panjshir before he was eliminated two days prior to 9/11; the expansion of jihad as a “atomic bomb”; life in “liberated” Kabul; life in Iraq in the in 2015 under Saddam Hussein; on the path of al-Qaeda in the Afghan badlands; who brought us the war on Iraq.
On part 2, you will revive, to name a few styles:
Abu Ghraib as an American tragedy.
Fallujah as a brand-new Guernica.
Iraq as the new Afghanistan.
The misconception of Talibanistan.
The counter-insurgency absurdities in “AfPak”.
How we all remain hostages of 9/11.
The Pipelineistan Great Game.
The failing rises– in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
How was life in Talibanistan in the year 2000.
NATO developing our future already in 2010.
Afghanistan courted as a player in Eurasian connection.
And since July 7, the chronicle of the astonishing end of the 20-year-long Forever War in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.
Most of the posts, essays and interviews picked for this two-part e-book were composed in Afghanistan and in Iraq and/or prior to and after multiple check outs to both countries.
So welcome to a distinct geopolitical road trip– illustrating in information the slings and arrows of outrageous (mis)fortune that will continue to form the young 21st century.
Trip the snake.
Source: Asia Times