I got The Operators a few years ago and had never got around to reading it and now I’ve read it, I regret that.
The Operators is about a series of interviews given by Stanley McChrystal during the time he was Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, United States Forces – Afghanistan. Incredible to think now that Hastings was allowed to travel with McChrystal and tag along to various bars and restaurants.
The resulting story when it appeared in The Rolling Stone got McChrystal fired. Hastings provides details about Afghanistan I never knew and paints a fairly depressing but all too familiar picture about the country. The part where McChrystal visits a small unit in a remote part of the country is hard to read at times.
The author makes note of the fact that people in Afghanistan didn’t want democracy or elections. How the country has been ravaged by war, corruption, distrust and civilian casualties.
All in all, a good read.
