On the Slopes
On the California slopes of Mammoth Mountain a group of locals have created something remarkable: a weekend of skiing and snow sports for wounded veterans and their families. John Kael Weston was there.
Loud and Clear
After years of combat and thousands of pages of confusion, finally there is a book that explains the inner workings—and failings—of the American disaster in Iraq and Afghanistan. Former State Department official John Kael Weston salutes Robert Gates’ “Duty.”
Once More
Once again Fallujah is ground zero for a terrible fight over Iraq’s future. The State Department’s former man on the ground, John Kael Weston, remembers the last time battle raged in the streets and what we can do now—for our friends and former collaborators.
Friends In Iraq
Kirk Johnson has fought for years to try to right a wrong: our abandonment of Iraqis who helped us in the war.
As Obama pushes for the U.S. to attack Syria, vets gather to talk about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. John Kael Weston, who spent years in both, reflects on what another war would mean after the folly of the last two.
Warrior Scholars
The U.S. Army launched a program during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to have academics and scholars advise them. Did it work? John Kael Weston considers the evidence in Vanessa Gezari’s new book, The Tender Soldier. Plus: read an excerpt.
What happens when a former top-level State Department official asks the government to reveal if it’s reading his communications? John Kael Weston on his adventures in our national-security state.
On this July Fourth two Marines—both recipients of the Purple Heart—will be home with their families. John Kael Weston talks with them about their stories of war and recovery.
The Essential Afghan Memoir
A carpet seller tells the story of his family’s odyssey through Afghanistan. John Kael Weston hails this essential Afghan memoir.
By the River
Carter Malkasian, one of the American government’s top experts on Afghanistan, spent two years with locals in one remote district, resulting in his new book, War Comes to Garmser. John Kael Weston speaks to Malkasian about what he learned from a dusty corner of the country.