Blood, Metal and Dust - How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON MEDAL FOR MILITARY HISTORY 2021, THE BRITISH ARMY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021, AS A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 ARMY HISTORICAL FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARDS. FIRST RUNNER UP IN THE TEMPLER MEDAL BOOK PRIZE 2021.

'With a soldier's eye for telling operational details, Ben Barry offers an authoritative, compelling and inevitably bleak account of the American and British campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.' Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London

Newly revised and updated with in-depth analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan after American withdrawal, Blood, Metal and Dust is an authoritative account of how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were played out, explaining their underlying politics and telling the story of what happened on the ground.

From the high-ranking officer who wrote the still-classified British military analysis of the war in Iraq comes the authoritative history of two conflicts which have overshadowed the beginning of the 21st century. Inextricably linked to the ongoing 'War on Terror', the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated more than a decade of international politics, and their influence is felt to this day.

Blood, Metal and Dust is the first military history to offer a comprehensive overview of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, providing in-depth accounts of the operations undertaken by both US and UK forces. Brigadier Ben Barry explores the wars which shaped the modern Middle East, providing a detailed narrative of operations as they unfolded. With unparalleled access to official military accounts and extensive contacts in both the UK and the US militaries, Brigadier Barry is uniquely placed to tell the story of these controversial conflicts, and offers a rounded account of the international campaigns which irrevocably changed the global geopolitical landscape.

List of contents

List of Maps
List of Illustrations
Preface to First Edition
Preface to Second Edition
Acknowledgements

1 Before the Fall: The military experience of the US and its allies before 9/11
2 Strategic Shock and Response: Afghanistan from 9/11 to Operation Anaconda
3 Economy of Force: Stabilizing Afghanistan 2002-05
4 Operation Cobra II: The invasion of Iraq
5 Descent into Chaos: Iraq 2003-04
6 'As the Iraqis stand up we will stand down': The Transition Strategy 2004-06
7 The Iraq Surge: Regaining the initiative
8 Learning under Fire: The struggle to adapt to the unexpected character of the conflicts
9 The Battles for Basra: Britain' s near-defeat in southern Iraq
10 Endgame in Iraq: Success turns to failure
11 The Enemy Gets a Vote: Afghanistan 2006-09
12 The Afghan Surge: 2009-12
13 The Failure of the Transition to Afghan Security Leadership
14 Bloody Lessons

Glossary
Recommended Reading
Endnotes
Index

About the author

As Senior Fellow for Land Warfare for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Ben Barry has written extensively for IISS publications including Survival, its journal, and Strategic Survey, its annual assessment of world affairs. He is one of the authors of the annual Military Balance, an authoritative assessment of global military affairs, and his publications with Military Balance include 'Combat and Capability: Military Trends since 9/11', a concise analysis of the decade of military conflict from 2001 to 2011, published in 2012.

Before leaving the British Army in October 2010, Barry wrote A Cold War: Front-line Operations in Bosnia 1995­-1996 describing his battalion's operational tour under both UN and NATO flags in the mid-1990s. The book was shortlisted for the British Army Book of the Year 2009 award. His final appointment was leading the British Army's analysis of the lessons of the Iraq campaign, which informs Blood, Metal and Dust.

Summary

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON MEDAL FOR MILITARY HISTORY 2021, THE BRITISH ARMY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021, AS A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 ARMY HISTORICAL FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARDS. FIRST RUNNER UP IN THE TEMPLER MEDAL BOOK PRIZE 2021.

'With a soldier's eye for telling operational details, Ben Barry offers an authoritative, compelling and inevitably bleak account of the American and British campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.' Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London

Newly revised and updated with in-depth analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan after American withdrawal, Blood, Metal and Dust is an authoritative account of how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were played out, explaining their underlying politics and telling the story of what happened on the ground.

From the high-ranking officer who wrote the still-classified British military analysis of the war in Iraq comes the authoritative history of two conflicts which have overshadowed the beginning of the 21st century. Inextricably linked to the ongoing 'War on Terror', the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated more than a decade of international politics, and their influence is felt to this day.

Blood, Metal and Dust is the first military history to offer a comprehensive overview of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, providing in-depth accounts of the operations undertaken by both US and UK forces. Brigadier Ben Barry explores the wars which shaped the modern Middle East, providing a detailed narrative of operations as they unfolded.

With unparalleled access to official military accounts and extensive contacts in both the UK and the US militaries, Brigadier Barry is uniquely placed to tell the story of these controversial conflicts, and offers a rounded account of the international campaigns which irrevocably changed the global geopolitical landscape.

Foreword

Newly revised and updated with in-depth analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan after American withdrawal, Blood, Metal and Dust is an authoritative account of how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were played out, explaining their underlying politics and telling the story of what happened on the ground.

Additional text

Lucid, wide-ranging and thorough, for students of the West's recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it will remain an indispensable resource for years to come.

Product details

• Authors: Ben Barry
• Publisher: Osprey Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2021
• EAN: 9781472831040
• ISBN: 978-1-4728-3104-0
• No. of pages: 560
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 230 mm x 45 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book; Afghanistan, HISTORY / Military / Afghan War (2001-), HISTORY / Middle East / Iraq, c 2000 to c 2009, Iraq, Military and defence strategy, Battles & campaigns, c 2010 to c 2019, Afghan War, War and defence operations, Iraq War