Ben Anderson discusses his time spent as a reporter and documentarian on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan, and his new book, No Worse Enemy, with fellow author and journalist Michael Hastings.

The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan has been much debated in the last few weeks, but a bigger question should be whether or not Western forces being in the country has mattered at all. Over the last ten years that US troops have been in Afghanistan, reports have stated that we are making headway, the Taliban is on its last legs, and the tipping point is close—but then the Taliban gradually return.

No one knows this better than journalist and documentary filmmaker Ben Anderson. He has spent the better part of five years on the front lines with the British Army and the US Marines documenting what is going on in the war in Afghanistan. His book No Worse Enemy: The Inside Story of the Chaotic Struggle for Afghanistan charts the progress of President Obama's counter-insurgency strategy, the so-called "Good War," and details how it has descended into a quagmire, with ever-increasing levels of violence.

As the only journalist to have seen all the campaigns under President Obama, and with over 300 hours of footage from the front, Anderson has a unique perspective on both the experiences of the troops and the Afghan people. When he had his footage translated, he was shocked to find that the Afghan people trusted the Taliban more than they trusted the Afghan Army. Some of this footage was a part of The Battle for Marjah, his award-winning documentary for HBO Films. Now, No Worse Enemy shares even more of the story.

Featuring interviews with military commanders on the ground, details of IED explosions, multiplying US casualties, chronic disorganization, civilian deaths, and Taliban fighters who melt into the local population, No Worse Enemy is a bold and frightening insight into the longest war of modern times.

About Ben Andreson:

Ben Anderson is an acclaimed journalist who has been making documentaries and writing for over 14 years. He has filmed, presented, and produced over 40 films, including The Battle for Marjah for HBO Films. He has fronted four programs for BBC flagship documentary program Panorama, and has been nominated for a BAFTA Award. He has written for The Times, Esquire, London Review of Books, Daily Mirror, and The Daily Mail. When not reporting in the field, he lives in London.

About Michael Hastings:

Michael Hastings is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He regularly covers international affairs for the magazine, including the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. In 2011, he received the George Polk Award in journalism for his Rolling Stone story "The Runaway General." His work has appeared in Newsweek, GQ, Men's Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Slate, Salon, Foreign Policy, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, and a number of other publications. In 2010, Hastings was named one of The Huffington Post's Game Changers of the year. His GQ story "Obama's War" was selected for Best American Political Writing 2009. He is also the author of I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story and The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan.

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