My guest today is Toby Harnden, who is an author, journalist, and winner of the Orwell Prize, UK’s most prestigious prize for political writing. His most recent book, First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11, is the story of the first US team into Afghanistan post the attacks of September 11, 2001. A former Royal Navy officer before becoming a journalist for the likes ofThe Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph who has subsequently reported from 33 countries, was imprisoned in Zimbabwe, and faced prosecution in Britain for protecting confidential sources, Toby is uniquely qualified to tell this story. Some of the topics we covered are: Toby’s journey into journalism, building credibility with the CIA, the story of Team Alpha, the battle of Qala-i Jangi, human terrain of Afghanistan as well as the scars of Team Alpha in the years to come.
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Full show notes:
My guest today is Toby Harnden, who is an author, journalist, and winner of the Orwell Prize, UK’s most prestigious prize for political writing. His most recent book is First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 and will be the main focus of our discussion today. A former foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times of London and The Daily Telegraph who has reported from 33 countries, he specializes in terrorism and war. Born in England, Toby was imprisoned in Zimbabwe, faced prosecution in Britain for protecting confidential sources, and was vindicated by a $23 million public inquiry in Ireland. A dual British and American citizen, he spent a decade as a Royal Navy officer before becoming a journalist. He holds a First Class degree in Modern History from Corpus Christi College, Oxford and is the author of Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh (1999) as well as Dead Men Risen: An Epic Story of War and Heroism in Afghanistan (2009), for which he received the Orwell Prize. Previously based in London, Belfast, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Washington D.C., he now lives in Virginia.
Some of the topics we covered are:
70. Dr Alexander Bellamy - R2P, Just War and prospects of World Peace - Part 1
69. Amanda Hsiao - China, US and Taiwan: A deep dive
68. Special Release: Dr Mike Martin and John Spencer - An update on Ukraine
67. Paul Ingram - On the threat of nuclear war and hopes of disarmament
66. Dr Jessica Wolfendale - On torture, war crimes and moral responsibility - Part 2
65. Dr Jessica Wolfendale - On torture, war crimes and moral responsibility - Part 1
64. John Spencer - On Ukraine, Urban Warfare and lessons learnt
63. Dr Ned Dobos - On the unaccounted costs of maintaining a military
62. Abby Zeith and Ruben Stewart: International Humanitarian Law in Urban Warfare
61. Brigadier Mark Ascough - On Military Intelligence
60. Dr Tony Ingesson - On military sub-cultures and their impact on behaviour
59. My personal reflections on war
58. Dr Mike Martin and LTGEN (Ret.) Arne Dalhaug - Update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine
57. John Gartner - Reflections on a lifetime of service in the Special Forces
56. Andy Norman - Mental Immunity: Inoculating against conspiracies and disinformation
55. Jason Pack - On the ’Global Enduring Disorder’
54. Duncan Spinner - The Fight for at-risk Ukrainians
53. Dr Deane-Peter Baker: State Ethics vs Soldier Morality
52. Dr David Whetham - On the Ethics of War, War Crimes and Ethical Decision Making
51. Carl Miller - On Information Warfare, Social Media and pro-Russian influence campaigns in BRICS
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