When President George W. Bush approved the first American-Afghan war, Robert Grenier, the CIA station chief in Islamabad from 1999-2002, found himself directing it. Grenier launched the “southern campaign,” orchestrating the final defeat of the Taliban and Hamid Karzai’s rise to power in eighty-eight chaotic days.

Grenier’s new book, 88 Days to Kandahar, recounts the crucial players during this critical time: General Tommy Franks, who balked at CIA control of “his” war; General Jafar Amin, the Pakistani intelligence officer who saved Grenier from committing career suicide; and Pakistan’s brilliant ambassador to the US, Maleeha Lodhi; among others. What results is a post-9/11 race to unseat the Taliban and al-Qaida, forever changing the U.S.’s relationship to Afghanistan.

Join New America NYC and ERG Partners for a conversation with Robert Grenier, author of 88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Dairy, and former Pakistan Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani as they look back at the complexities of Middle East politics and contemporary war and what it means for the future of counterterrorism and diplomacy efforts around the world. 

External Link »