All In
By Paula Broadwell and Vernon Loeb
By Paula Broadwell and Vernon LoebRead by James Lurie
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Published on Jan 24, 2012 | 432 Pages
Published on Jan 24, 2012 | 432 Pages
Afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates, and his longtime friends, Broadwell reported on the front lines of fighting and at the strategic command in Afghanistan to chronicle the experiences of this American general as they were brought to bear in the terrible crucible of war. All In draws on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with Petraeus and his top officers and soldiers to tell the inside story of this commander’s development and leadership in war.
When Petraeus assumed command in Afghanistan in July 2010, the conflict looked as bleak as at any moment in America’s nine years on the ground there. Petraeus’s defining idea—counterinsurgency—was immediate put to its most difficult test: the hard lessons learned during the surge in Iraq were to be applied in a radically different theater. All In examines the impact in Afghanistan of new counterinsurgency as well as counterterrorism strategies through the commands of several Petraeus protégés.
Broadwell examines his evolution as a solider from his education at West Point in the wake of Vietnam to his earlier service in Central America, Haiti, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Iraq. All In also documents the general’s role in the war in Washington, going behind the scenes of negotiations during policy reviews of the war in Afghanistan in Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House.
Broadwell ultimately appraises Petraeus’s impact on the entire U.S. military: Thanks to this man’s influence, the military is better prepared to fight using a comprehensive blend of civil-military activities. As America surveys a decade of untraditional warfare, this much is clear: The career of General David Petraeus profoundly shaped our military and left an indelible mark on its rising leaders.
Author
Paula Broadwell
Paula Broadwell has more than a decade of military service and over a decade and a half of work in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. She is a research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership and a PhD candidate at the University of London. She graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy and earned an MA degree from the University of Denver and an MPA degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She lives with her husband and their two children in North Carolina.
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Vernon Loeb
Vernon Loeb is an American author and journalist. He was metro editor at the Washington Post before being named managing editor at the Houston Chronicle. He began his career in 1978 at the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2011 he wrote a biweekly column called IntelligenCIA, covering the United States intelligence community for the Washington Post. Loeb has four children with his wife, broadcast journalist Patricia Ford “Pat” Loeb.
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