The Forty‑Year War in Afghanistan by Tariq Ali

The Forty‑Year War in Afghanistan: A Chronicle Foretold by Tariq Ali is a non‑fiction collection of essays chronicling the prolonged conflict in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the recent U.S. and NATO withdrawal in 2021. Ali, a long‑time political activist and writer, uses his sharp analysis and decades of commentary to examine how repeated foreign interventions—first by the Soviet Union and later by the United States and its allies—have shaped Afghanistan’s tragic history, fueled instability, empowered extremist groups like the Taliban, and caused immense suffering for its people. The book critiques the justifications for war, highlights the recurring mistakes of imperial powers, and reflects on the region’s future amid geopolitical shifts.