Meet America’s Favorite Warlord

Pre-order now available!

Advance Praise:

“The story of Abdul Raziq — rising from a young, illiterate criminal along the border with Pakistan to becoming the most powerful man in the greater Helmand Valley region — provides a fitting example of Afghanistan’s volatility over the last two decades.  Jacob Hagstrom has meticulously captured all the ambiguity, charisma, courage, and shortcomings of this compelling figure. For anyone working in a little-known part of the world, with leaders who are very unlike us yet resonate with the people who live there, this is a must read. Compelling narrative, readable and important!” 

—David McKiernan, General (ret), U.S. Army, Commander of ISAF and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, 2008-9

“This excellent book explores one of Afghanistan’s most effective and brutal field commanders. Hagstrom explains why United States and coalition military leaders routinely overlooked Raziq’s dismal human rights record in their futile search for sustained battlefield success. A must read for scholars, practitioners, and veterans of America’s longest war.” 

—Stephen M. Grenier, Faculty Director, Global Security Studies Program, Johns Hopkins University

“A deep dive into the daunting complexities of America’s long and costly War in Afghanistan.  Why did the United States fail so abysmally?  Jacob Hagstrom’s monograph is essential reading for anyone seeking answers to that question.” 

—Andrew Bacevich, Co-founder, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

The Setting: Kandahar, Afghanistan

• 
  War Stories

  How I got started with the research for America’s Favorite Warlord

  

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  Kandahar Province

  The setting for America’s Favorite Warlord

  Former Governor Tooryalai Wesa describes his homeland in this interview clip

  LT Andrew Gregory, of L/4-2 CAV, describes some memorable experiences involving food in Kandahar Province

• Book Review, H.R. McMaster, At War with Ourselves

  The editors of Lethal Minds Journal were kind enough to publish my review of H.R. McMaster’s account of his time in the Trump White House. Check it out by clicking the link below!

  https://lethalmindsjournal.substack.com/p/lethal-minds-volume-43