Crossing Zero

"A ferocious, iron-clad argument about the institutional failure of American foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan."--Daniel Ellsberg "Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould have seen the importance of the 'Great Game' in Afghanistan since the early 1980s. They have been most courageous in their commitment to telling the truth--and have paid a steep price for it. Their views have never been acceptable to mainstream media in our country, but they deserve accolades. If only our establishment had listened to them."--Oliver Stone "Crossing Zero is much more than a devastating indictment of the folly of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan. Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould demonstrate that the U.S. debacle in Afghanistan is the predictable climax of U.S. imperial overreach on a global scale. Like their earlier work documenting the origins of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan during the Cold War, 'Crossing Zero' deserves the attention of all serious students of U.S. foreign policy."--Selig S. Harrison, co-author of Out of Afghanistan: The Inside Story of the Soviet Withdrawal "Crossing Zero is an in-depth analysis of the American intervention in Afghanistan and Pakistan. What this book will teach you is that the entire adventure in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been and will continue to be a fiscal, military, diplomatic, and international disaster for the United States."--The Doug Noll Show"Crossing Zero thoroughly documents how the best-laid plans of Western powers have led to three decades of incessant war and the annihilation of Afghanistan's secular tribal structure, transforming it into one of the most violent and poverty-stricken places on earth...Afghanistan has become more than just a stark illustration of the ineptitude of Obama's misguided AfPak strategy--it reflects the futility of de-emphasizing diplomacy and how U.S. militarism has worked against our own interests. War and the endless preparations for it do more harm than good, destroying what they claim to protect."--Michael Hughes, The Huffington Post "In their latest book Crossing Zero: The AfPak War at the Turning Point of American Empire, Gould and Fitzgerald not only present the NATO nation-building project as failed, but they join a growing chorus of voices reporting that the effort to subdue insurgency in the region is rapidly losing ground. Their explanation of why this might be so focuses primarily two factors: the role of Pakistan, and the Pasthun tribe straddling the Durand Line. They also hint at a third factor rising: the U.S. may simply run out of money to continue."--Lisa Savage, Went to the Bridge "The authors seek to expose what they see as American failures in the Afghan War that have led to the proliferation of militant groups in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. They look at the potential consequences for American interests and make suggestions for improving American policy."--Survival "The 200-page book, just released, is a brilliant indictment of the insane US military occupation of Afghanistan. It also casts grave doubts on the rationale for continuing American interventionism and makes a strong case for retrenchment."--Epinions "In Crossing Zero, Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould provide a much needed antidote to mainstream accounts of the AfPak war by documenting in detail the disastrous consequences of United States and NATO military intervention in the region. Drawing from a wide range of sources, and written in crisp, clear prose, the book will be useful to students, researchers, policy makers, and anyone interested in knowing the truth."--Julien Mercille, lecturer in US foreign policy at University College Dublin "The authors portray policies of previous years (e.g., U.S. support of insurgents fighting the Soviet invasion) as now coming back to hurt us, part of a repetition of errors previously made by European powers in the region over the past 400 years. They have marshaled an impressive array of sources, both journalistic and academic, to demonstrate that their ideas have long been available, if only policymakers had chosen to heed them...Readers with a serious interest in U.S. foreign policy or military strategy will find it helpful in thinking about a long-lived issue."--Library Journal