Book Festival | Brig Ben Barry interviewed by Stephen Paul Stewart

Afghanistan and Iraq Wars – What went wrong
The Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, inextricably linked to the ongoing ‘War on Terror’, have overshadowed the beginning of the 21^st century.  How did these wars play out, what were their underlying politics and what happened on the ground?

Brig Ben Barry’s book Blood, Metal and Dust, is the first military history to offer a comprehensive overview of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortlisted for The Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History 2021, this book provides in-depth accounts of the operations undertaken by both US and UK forces and explores the wars that shaped the modern Middle East. Journalist and one-time soldier, Stephen Stewart will discuss these controversial conflicts with Brig Ben Barry, the high-ranking officer who wrote the British military analysis of the war in Iraq.

Award-winning journalist Stephen Paul Stewart was given a taste of the war in Afghanistan when he was the embedded journalist with The Black Watch, 3^rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, in 2009. His reporting mission to the front line changed his life forever. He gave up his career reporting and joined the British Army before deploying to Afghanistan as a combat infantryman. His book The Accidental Soldier tells of his experiences.