The Wrong War

NATIONAL BESTSELLER In this definitive account of the conflict, acclaimed war correspondent and bestselling author Bing West provides a practical way out of Afghanistan. Drawing on his expertise as both a combat-hardened Marine and a former assistant secretary of defense, West has written a tour de force narrative, rich with vivid characters and gritty combat, which shows the consequences when strategic theory meets tactical reality. Having embedded with dozens of frontline units over the past three years, he takes the reader on a battlefield journey from the mountains in the north to the opium fields in the south. A fighter who understands strategy, West builds the case for changing course. His conclusion is sure to provoke debate: remove most of the troops from Afghanistan, stop spending billions on the dream of a modern democracy, and insist the Afghans fight their own battles. Bing West's book is a page-turner about brave men and cunning enemies that examines our realistic choices as a nation.

Bing West's bestselling books have won the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's award for nonfiction, the Goodpaster Prize for military scholarship, the Colby award for military nonfiction, and the Marine Corps University Foundation's Leadership Award. West, a Marine combat infantryman, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former assistant secretary of defense.