The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power, from Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad, is an insightful and nuanced analysis of the many failures of US foreign policy over the past half century or so.

In case you missed the subtitle, this is not simply a rehash of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, this is broader and far more about overall policy failure than about one instance in isolation. If you read the introduction, you will understand what the objectives are, from the withdrawals mentioned to coup reversals and losing control of events in places the US thought they were in control. In other words, withdrawal in the bigger picture, not a sensationalized account of the most recent episode.

This is taken from many discussions between the authors as well as interviews. While there is a lot that will be familiar to readers of either writer, it isn't about always finding something brand new to say. It is about connecting the dots between previous analyses and more recent events; it is about applying ideas rather than trying to create shiny new ideas for those too lazy to do the work of making connections. Passive readers may well feel like they heard it all before. Active readers will find that what they heard before is just as important to say today as it was yesterday.

I would recommend this to readers who are concerned about what is happening globally as well as within a very polarized US. You don't have to agree with everything, no one is inside your head while you read, so just read to understand what they are saying, then if you disagree with some parts, you will be actually disagreeing, not just repeating the mantra your handlers have driven into your mind.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )