Author(s): Karen Middleton

Military History

A decade on from the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Australians are embroiled in what they were told was a 'good' war, the nation's longest military conflict - the war in Afghanistan. This book charts for the first time the decisions, motives and influences that carried Australia into Afghanistan. Based on interviews with dozens of key political and military figures in Australia and abroad, the book looks at the role of domestic politics and the decision to also wage war in Iraq, and lays bare the tensions between political and military decision-making, the nature and potency of the US alliance and the influence of individual personalities in charting Australia's course. And it confirms that if ever there is a good war, this one has become anything but.