The Longest War (2020) User Reviews

Insightful 30,000 ft level view of the never-ending Afghan war

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 21 April 2020]

"The Longest War" (2020 release; 82 min.) is a documentary that takes a look back at America's longest war ever. That would be true if we were to look only at the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, but as the movie opens, the film makers trace is all the way back ti 1979, when the USSR invaded Afghanistan, prompting a response from the US. After that brief introduction, we are introduced to Lisa Maddox, a CIA Targeter, i.e. (counter)intelligence gatherer. "I don't see how this ends", she laments. We then go back in time to 1979, and from there we get a reminder course 101 on how it all unfolded from there. At this point we are 10 min. into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from veteran documentarian Greg Barker ("The Final Year", "Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma", etc.) Here he traces the history of our country's involvement with Afghanistan. When you see it playing out as presented in this film, it absolutely blows the mind how long this has been going on. "It was always the CIA's war", comments someone about what the US was doing covertly in the 1980s. We witness the rise of the Taliban starting in the late 80s and early 90s, and it all leads to the post-9/11 environment, where things at first go quite well, but then when the US invades Iraq in 2003, all goes to hell in a handbasket, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Along the way we get some really thoughtful perspectives, including from Roya Rahmani (current Afghan Ambassador to the US, the first woman ever in that position) and from a guy named Amrullah Saleh who at first is described as "Former Chief of Afghan Intelligence" but later is revealed as the current "Vice President of Afghanistan".

"The Longest War" premiered earlier this week on Showtime and is now available on SHO On Demand and other streaming services. No, it is not the most cheerful thing to watch and in fact at times it makes for difficult viewing, but frankly also necessary viewing. We have poured over a trillion dollars into that country (whether for waging war and/or funding reconstruction), it just blows the mind. And why are we still there? If you have any interest in geopolitical issues, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

What Do We Value?

[westsideschl · 8/10 · 16 July 2021]

DVD lacked subtitles for the elderly, disabled, hearing impaired, and ESL viewers.

Taliban wants to enforce an extremely restricted form of Islam. You get the right to life, but you give up all other rights. An atmosphere of fear, oppression in which Sharia Law will be enforced.

Biden is abandoning the girls & women of Afghanistan to be valued as less than cattle (even slaughtered). In 2001 (Taliban ruling) 900,000 students in schools - number of girls, ZERO. If females try to be educated or have a job they are killed, even girls. If our military can not support the basic ideals that make up our country why have them?

It's Vietnam all over again.....

[hupkabupka · 9 November 2020]

I know what I'm talking about. I'm 70 and served in Vietnam. Sending American troops to the Middle East is every bit as stupid as sending them to Vietnam was. Trillions of dollars and many lives simply wasted. Vietnam gave us nothing and Iraq and Afghanistan will give us nothing except a reputation as wasteful idiots.

Getting Bin Laden was necessary but prosecuting a war accomplishes nothing. It only impoverishes us both financially and in reputation. I was drafted but today's troops are all volunteers so they have no one to blame but themselves. I would have never gone into the military during Vietnam if there was no draft. Even as a teenager I could see it was a pointless waste of American resources and a huge mistake. The Pentagon Papers proved me right, so did history.

I thought the documentary was very well done. We have to stop these politicians from taking us to war on little or no evidence of a quick and positive outcome.

LIES, OBFUSCATIONS AND FRAUD

[brooksrob1 · 1/10 · 30 May 2020]

Those words, used in the title, make a great fiction movie. But, when they're used in the dialog in which men and women on both "sides" have died and or are maimed for life and CONTINUE to do so; Those words are criminal. The one thing for sure, the tens of thousands of troops sent in harms way were not there to "protect our freedoms" or Kill/get Bin Laden ...No; It's murder and control of the third world and control of the resources, primarily Opium...

This is like a documentary made by Goebbels...Shame on you frauds! USAF vet.

Lest we forget

[badbastard · 23 April 2020]

I write with a heavy heart. This is a very short and basic history lesson. The United States of America and Russia are the founding fathers of the "Taliban", "Al-Qaeda", "ISIS". Because the way Germany was treated after WW1, Germany rebelled and said screw you Allies for leaving us in poverty. So years pass, history repeats its self and WW2 starts with more years of death, annihilation and suffering of peoples. So humanity learnt from that and rebuilt the economy of Germany and Japan to economic global powers. And for some reason years later we've forgotten that. You can't go into a sovereign state, tear it apart and walk away. Shame on you Russia and U.S.A.

Incredibly biased pro-American - learned nothing

[lmjakob-79129 · 3/10 · 12 August 2021]

Wanted to see a movie which explained a bit about what happened in Afghanistan but it felt like Americans justifying their actions and showing how they were in the right to the point where one guy was justifying the torture of Afghan POWs. I have given it three stars because it's we shot and uses some good footage. But it's seriously so one sided.

Created by Non Participants

[dncorp · 2/10 · 11 November 2020]

Drafted Vietnam War age 18, U.S. Army Field Artillery, life expectancy 6 months. Age 18 told that I Volunteered to be U.S. Army Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol life expectancy 2 Weeks. Combat Schools Republic of South Vietnam, U.S. Army Airborne School (included Air Mobile today's Air Assault), U.S. Army Ranger School (two classes before mine got massacred), U.S. Army Special Forces School, U.S. Army Special Forces Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School as Strategic at Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, not the Tactical U.S. Army Ranger Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols. Age 18 killed Vietcong at less than 10 meters, Age 19 killed North Vietnamese Army Soldier, each LRRP of my 4 member Team credited with killing Hundreds on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. After College, University Re Entered the U.S. Military as Officer, Combat Service Support as NOT wanting anything to do with Combat.

After Graduating from over 6 Career Field Schools stationed with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe, as Missile Officer, Nuclear Weapons Physics and Physiology Officer. While on "The Duty" (Nuclear Control Orders), and Staff Duty Officer a message came in addressed to ALL Major Military Commands and Government Agencies, requiring anybody with Combat Experience to Report to Ramstein Air Force Base, Building xx (a Hanger) Date Time Group (DTG), attached was a list of about 1,000 names, social security number (used instead of assigned Service Numbers). Field Uniform, Assigned Weapon(s), Field Gear. I read the first pages only not the entire message and the list, believing this did not concern me, as was not a Nuclear Control Order.

Next Morning routine brief the Chief Of Staff, he will then brief the Commanding General. After the Briefing I went home. Next day I got called in to see the Commanding General, he said did you Read this Message. He showed me my name on that List. With a copy of that message I went to Ramstein Air Force Base, a C-5 Hangar. There were about a 1,000 from all Branches of Service, and Government Agencies. We got assigned to U.S. Army Special Forces Teams. Boarded C-141s were not told were we were going nor mission. Doors opened sign said "Baghdad International Airport". Training, U.S. Ally Iraqis Army to fight the U.S.S.R. backed Iranians of Ayatollah Khomeini during the Iran Iraq Wars, I lead a Iraqis Combat Brigade of over 100,000, 3 other Team Leader Led the other 3 Iraqis Combat Brigades north of Baghdad, to the South a Lieutenant Colonel (Promotable to Colonel) Led the Iraqis Combat Divisions. U.S. Ally Iraq was losing as the 30 Million Kurds turned Traitor and allied with Iran. The Millions of Iranians that previously fled the Massacres of Ayatollah Khomeini turned Traitor and allied to Iran. U.S. Ally Iraq was losing.

CIA Operation Cyclone

Afterwards we were rotated with the Teams of CIA Operation Cyclone. Training, Arming the CIA's Afghan Muhajeen at the Afghan Refugee Camps Pakistan. The Pakistanis Inter Service Intelligence as Allies of the U.S.S.R. did not do that. After Training, Arming the CIA Muhajeen they went across the Border and started killing each other as Revenge Kills from Decades, Centuries ago, Solution each U.S. Army Special Forces Team Member would lead a 12 man Afghan Muhajeen into Afghanistan to kill U.S.S.R.

FIM-92s sent to Us were defeated by the U.S.S.R. use of Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) that broadcasted the Friendly Signal to the FIM-92s "Stinger" Missiles. We did raids of the U.S.S.R. Depots and got SA-7s with no Identification Friend Or Foe, IFF, and shotdown U.S.S.R. MI-24s and the SU-25s hunting Us.

The U.S.S.R. could not figure out how we moved undetected because they did not know about the Thousands of Miles of mining tunnels, everywhere including inside the Mountains, that started since the Age of the Pharaohs of Egypt as Before Christ, as Millions from the other Nations went to Afghanistan to dig up anything of value, and sell along the Old Silk Road.

There were also the interconnected Afghan Water Well Tunnels, that allowed Us to appear inside the U.S.S.R. Base built around the Afghan Water Wells.

The idea started as to How to end this. Kill the age 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 U.S.S.R. "Conscripts", knowing that they had Living Parents, brothers, sisters, Relatives, Friends, and they would protest the U.S.S.R. War at Afghanistan, we knew that the 17 to 22 year olds at the U.S.S.R. fearing being Conscripted would Demonstrate, Protest. We did not kill the Old U.S.S.R. Military intentionally. We ambushed the U.S.S.R.s Main Supply Route from Pakistan thru the Khyber Pass to Kabul, we ambushed the U.S.S.R. Main Supply Route 2 from Tajikistan into Afghanistan to starve out the U.S.S.R. Bases at Afghanistan.

After the U.S.S.R. left their Pro U.S.S.R. Afghan Government and Pro U.S.S.R. Military became the Afghan Taliban 1990. Our CIA Muhajeen continued to fight the Pro U.S.S.R. Afghans as the Northern Alliance. When we Returned 2001 the former CIA Afghan Muhajeen of 150,000 helped Us overthrow the 5 Million Afghan Taliban Government and Afghan Taliban Armies (not "Militia"), See 2018 Movie 12 Strong.

OBL was never there during CIA Operation Cyclone he was at Northern Yemen creating his Al Quada to do Terrorist Acts against the House of Saud to get the U.S. Military Bases out of U.S. Ally Saudi Arabia, that were built by the Bin Laden Group his Parent's Corporation.

Because of all of this I was called some kind of "Expert" pertaining to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Kuwait, Indonesia, Philippines, etc., and instead of being away from Combat, I was Months, Years before the "Tip of the Spear" or as others told me I got "Shafted". As involved with EVERYTHING since 1982 ---> 2020

A One Sided look at the US involvement in Afghanistan

[adrianmcguinness · 5/10 · 14 October 2022]

The documentary takes a look at the USA's involvement in its longest war, Afghanistan. Contributors include US journalists, CIA, US combatants, Afghans who supported the "democratically" elected president. What it doesn't feature is a Taliban or Isis perspective on the US led war, surely an essential for any such documentary? It doesn't include the perspective of any of the US's allies. It doesn't include the perspective of any "neutral" Afghans. It does include much hand wringing & finger pointing from US personnel involved in the air, ground & governance of the war. This apparent arrogance in the documentary is neatly displayed when a news reporter describes how 1 American has been killed in a bomb attack & then almost as an afterthought mentions 10 Afghans were also killed. You get the feeling they have found the people they want to interview & have decided that's all they need without much thought for detail. Large time periods are ignored. At best, a very high level, one sided view of the US involvement in Afghanistan squashed into less then 90 minutes.