His understanding of war is so profound that one feels like secrets have been revealed - truths - information that one day may be necessary for our survival' SEBASTIAN JUNGER, author of WAR and TRIBE How and why did American involvement in Afghanistan end in tragedy? In this searing, short book, Elliot Ackerman offers a ground-level reckoning of the West's ignominious endgame in Afghanistan. This is the story of a long arc of tragedy, traced across five acts and under four presidents. Each leader, from Bush to Biden, has made a different fatal mistake in this saga - and the dark final act is currently playing out before our eyes. If we abandon Afghanistan, we both desert innocent civilians and imperil our own futures. Ackerman pairs real stories of life in combat with prescient political commentary to paint the big picture. The Fifth Act faces up to facts in order to help us understand the swift implosion of the Afghan government. This will be an unparalleled portrait of the war, the withdrawal and the rocky ground on which all our futures are being built.
