The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan [Hardcover]

This is not a military history of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. While you will read about some of the things that Canadian soldiers did at the operational and tactical level, if you are looking for a campaign history of Op ARCHER/ATHENA you will be disappointed. If, however, you want to know why they were there and why they ultimately left then this is the only book on the topic worth reading.

Mr. Brewster's multiple trips to Afghanistan as an embedded and unembedded reporter combine with his significant experience in the Canadian capital to produce an in-depth look at the strategic impetus behind the mission. The Savage War has a unique roller-coaster feel to it as Mr. Brewster will on one page be discussing the highest-level cabinet discussions and then be detailing his own absurd adventures in Kanadhar City as he looks to see if the rationale matches the reality. To be certain, there are moments where Mr. Brewster's opinions are on display, but he never suggests that they are anything but opinions and -more importantly- they are informed opinions.

It is far too early for a definitive account of the miliary mission at the operational level to be written as there is still too much emotion invested in the experience. The few books that have so far tried to describe the larger mission (with the exception of Christie Blatchford's work which focuses on individuals and Mark Gasparotto's book which is devoid of sophistry) are wishful tribute pieces at best. Mr. Brewster's book is probably the first one to attempt to cross the threshold into the sort of dispassionate analysis required to truly understand the past and as such it is, and will likely remain, an important book on the Canadian mission to Afghanintan. Indeed, it is probably the first truly important book to be written on it.

If you are the sort of person who feels that it is unpatriotic to do anything that does not implicitly 'support the troops' then you will probably not enjoy this book. If you want to attempt to understand the horrible and necessary reality of relationship between modern polity and modern warfare, as well as the collision between the starkest cynicism and the most profound hope then let this book challenge you.

Brewster's book centres on the Canadian effort in Afghanistan since 2005, but he paints a vivid picture of Afghanistan and its people that make it a compelling read to anyone interested in the region. It also provides a blow by blow no holds barred account of the government and military decision making process and show the extent Canada was unprepared to jump into the boiling cauldron it ended up in. It's the kind of book you'll read more than once.

What a great faced paced read. What makes this book so fantastic is the new way the author connects experiences, characters and politics to let the reader into the life of a journalist. This heart wrenching story of peoples lives in that God foresaken land is amazing. How isolating and scary to be a journalist in Afghanistan... looking evil in the eye all the time...its sometimes heart wrenching following the stories of peoples lives under the watchful gaze of a suspecious military. The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan