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All the Presidents’ Wars

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OVERVIEW

From the New York Times best-selling author, an eye-opening history of the United States’
war on terror across four presidential administrations.

2026 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the U.S. began to declare its war on terror: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” President Bush proclaimed. The resulting war on terror cost trillions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives, a series of misguided wars, and the damaged perception of American power. And yet despite its blunders, this campaign has kept America safe from large-scale foreign attack.

Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents’ Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents—Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump—and their global consequences. One of the few journalists to interview Osama bin Laden and have unparalleled access to the US intelligence community, Peter Bergen covers the history that might have been avoided: the many terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups around the world; the rise of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, largely responsible for the Iraqi civil war in the mid-2000s; the birth of ISIS; the resurrection of Afghanistan’s Taliban; and Trump’s war with Iran. From the failure to capture and eventual killing of Osama bin Laden to the disastrous rise of sectarian violence in the Middle East, Bergen traces the profound ramifications of this epoch in American life.

All the Presidents’ Wars also explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency’s military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal; the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and armies of counterterrorism partners; and whether the idea of war ever properly captured the defining conflict of recent American foreign policy. All the Presidents’ Wars is essential reading to understand America’s devastating war on terror and to avoid the mistakes of the past.

“Peter Bergen delivers the best overview of America’s post-9/11 wars that I’ve seen. He does thoughtfully and fairly, laying out the facts and then coming to solid, even-handed conclusions. Anyone who wants to understand American foreign policy needs to read this masterful account.
Essential reading—and, as a bonus, well-written.” —Thomas E. Ricks, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Fiasco

“Peter Bergen lifts the proverbial ‘fog of war’ to provide a brilliantly clear and much-needed reckoning with America's twenty-five-year Global War on Terror. With an even hand and expert skill, he holds U.S. presidents and policymakers accountable for blunders of historic proportion.” ––Jane Mayer, New Yorker staff writer, author of The Dark Side

“With his signature clarity and unparalleled insight, Peter Bergen traces the decisions made in the Oval Office and on the battlefield after 9/11—and the lasting consequences that followed. A timely, incisive, and compelling account of a war whose impact is far from over.” —Clarissa Ward, CNN Chief International Correspondent and author of On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist

“All the Presidents’ Wars is an unflinching look at the tragic mistakes and miscalculations of four U.S. administrations, as well as the quiet successes that thwarted terrorist plans for further attacks on the U.S. homeland. Drawing on decades of reporting, Bergen’s book is packed with revelations and fascinating insights. An important, deeply researched book, and a fascinating read.” —Joby Warrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS