All The Presidents' Wars

From a multiple New York Times bestselling author, here is an eye-opening history of the United States' war on terror across four presidential administrations.

The year 2026 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: 'Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,' President George W. Bush proclaimed. The resulting invasion of Afghanistan cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, and led to a series of misguided wars and the damaged perception of American power.

Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents' Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents - Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump - that arose out of the country's responses to 9/11. One of the few journalists to interview Osama bin Laden and to have unparalleled access to the US intelligence community, Peter Bergen covers a tragic history that might have been avoided.

All the Presidents' Wars explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency's military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal, and the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and the armies of counterterrorism partners. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand America's devastating war on terror and to avoid the mistakes of the past.

'Peter Bergen lifts the proverbial "fog of war" to provide a brilliantly clear and much-needed reckoning with America's twenty-five-year global war on terror. With an even hand and expert skill, he holds US presidents and policymakers accountable for blunders of historic proportion.'
- Jane Mayer, The New Yorker staff writer, author of The Dark Side

'The best account I've read of America's post-9/11 wars in the Middle East.'
- Max Boot, author of Reagan: his life and legend

'A primer in how to lose the war on terror. National security expert Bergen shows how intelligence agencies, politicians, and the military misread the world after 9/11 - the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost roughly $6 trillion and 7,000 American lives ... A profoundly insightful account of why we're mired in forever wars, and likely will be long into the future.'
- Kirkus Reviews, starred review