# Twenty Years: Hope, War, and the Betrayal of an Afghan Generation - Hardcover

by **Sune Engel Rasmussen** (Author)

**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.

### Author Biography

**Sune Engel Rasmussen** has reported in Afghanistan extensively for _The Guardian_ and _The Wall Street Journal_, where he now covers Afghanistan, Iran, and European security affairs. The author of a 2019 Danish-language book on Afghanistan, he lives in London. His work has also appeared in _Harper's Magazine_, _The Economist_, _National Geographic_, _GQ_, _Newsweek_, and _Time_.

**Number of Pages:** 352

**Dimensions:** 1.13 x 9.24 x 6.35 IN

**Publication Date:** August 06, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 30.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 30.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Twenty Years: Hope, War, and the Betrayal of an Afghan Generation - Hardcover

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