Twenty Years

The United States and its allies responded to al-Qaeda’s attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, by toppling the Taliban regime and installing a new government under Hamid Karzai, and an entire generation of Afghans grew up amid the upheavals that followed. As a foreign correspondent for The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, Sune Engel Rasmussen spent more than a decade in the company of this new generation, and in Twenty Years he tells its story. His vibrant cast of young Afghans includes Zahra, who returns from abroad with high hopes for her liberated country but then must escape a brutal marriage and rebuild her life, and Omari, who joins the Taliban at the age of fourteen to protect the honor of his village and nation and winds up wrestling with doubt and the trauma of war after achieving victory. We also encounter Parasto, who risks her life running clandestine girls’ schools under the new Taliban regime, and Fahim, a rags-to-riches tycoon who is forced to flee. Through the eyes of these and other young people, we see the United States and its coalition bring new opportunities and wealth while also permitting and presiding over the corruption, warlordism, and social division that led to the Taliban’s return to power. The result is a searing narrative of how Afghans intimately experienced the initial promise of freedom, democracy, and safety; fought with one another over its meaning; and then witnessed its collapse. Written with flair and compassion, Twenty Years offers deep insight into a country betrayed by the West and the Taliban alike.

The United States and its allies responded to al-Qaeda’s attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, by toppling the Taliban regime and installing a new government under Hamid Karzai, and an entire generation of Afghans grew up amid the upheavals that followed. As a foreign correspondent for The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, Sune Engel Rasmussen spent more than a decade in the company of this new generation, and in Twenty Years he tells its story. His vibrant cast of young Afghans includes Zahra, who returns from abroad with high hopes for her liberated country but then must escape a brutal marriage and rebuild her life, and Omari, who joins the Taliban at the age of fourteen to protect the honor of his village and nation and winds up wrestling with doubt and the trauma of war after achieving victory. We also encounter Parasto, who risks her life running clandestine girls’ schools under the new Taliban regime, and Fahim, a rags-to-riches tycoon who is forced to flee. Through the eyes of these and other young people, we see the United States and its coalition bring new opportunities and wealth while also permitting and presiding over the corruption, warlordism, and social division that led to the Taliban’s return to power. The result is a searing narrative of how Afghans intimately experienced the initial promise of freedom, democracy, and safety; fought with one another over its meaning; and then witnessed its collapse. Written with flair and compassion, Twenty Years offers deep insight into a country betrayed by the West and the Taliban alike.

An intimate history of the Afghan war-and the young Afghans whose dreams it enabled and dashed. No country was more deeply affected by 9/11 than Afghanistan: an entire generation grew up amid the upheaval that began that day. Young Afghans knew the promise of freedom, democracy, and safety, fought with each other over its meaning-and then witnessed its collapse. In Twenty Years, the Wall Street Journal correspondent Sune Engel Rasmussen draws on more than a decade of reporting from the country to tell Afghanistan's story from a new angle. Through the eyes of newly empowered women, skilled entrepreneurs, driven insurgents, and abandoned Western allies, we see the United States and its partners bring new freedoms and wealth, only to preside over the corruption, war-lordism, and social division that led to the Taliban's return to power. Rasmussen relates this history via two main characters: Zahra, who returns from abroad with high hopes for her liberated county, where she must fight to escape a brutal marriage and rebuild her life; and Omari, who joins the Taliban to protect the honor of his village and country and winds up wrestling with doubt and the trauma of war after achieving victory. We also meet Parasto, who risks her life running clandestine girls' schools under the new Taliban regime, and Fahim, a rags-to-riches tycoon who is forced to flee. With intimate access to these and other characters, Rasmussen offers deep insight into a country betrayed by the West and Taliban alike.

An intimate history of the Afghan war-and the young Afghans whose dreams it enabled and dashed. No country was more deeply affected by 9/11 than Afghanistan: an entire generation grew up amid the upheaval that began that day. Young Afghans knew the promise of freedom, democracy, and safety, fought with each other over its meaning-and then witnessed its collapse. In Twenty Years, the Wall Street Journal correspondent Sune Engel Rasmussen draws on more than a decade of reporting from the country to tell Afghanistan's story from a new angle. Through the eyes of newly empowered women, skilled entrepreneurs, driven insurgents, and abandoned Western allies, we see the United States and its partners bring new freedoms and wealth, only to preside over the corruption, war-lordism, and social division that led to the Taliban's return to power. Rasmussen relates this history via two main characters: Zahra, who returns from abroad with high hopes for her liberated county, where she must fight to escape a brutal marriage and rebuild her life; and Omari, who joins the Taliban to protect the honor of his village and country and winds up wrestling with doubt and the trauma of war after achieving victory. We also meet Parasto, who risks her life running clandestine girls' schools under the new Taliban regime, and Fahim, a rags-to-riches tycoon who is forced to flee. With intimate access to these and other characters, Rasmussen offers deep insight into a country betrayed by the West and Taliban alike.