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This Is What Winning Looks Like (Full Length)

VICE · 10.4M views · 2013-05-27 · 1:29:11

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Overview

Ben Anderson's VICE documentary shows embedded reporting on Afghan security forces and US Marines in Helmand during the troop drawdown, exposing incompetence, drug abuse and corruption.

On Hacker News

Recommended during Afghanistan withdrawal threads as a sobering look at why the transition to local forces was failing.

Recommended by 7 HN people across 8 months · HN mentions 2014–2023

Topics

Geopolitics & foreign policyMilitary history & warfareMedia, journalism & propaganda
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afghanistanben andersonvicehelmandwar reporting

What people said

pengaru · 2023-02 · Strong recommendation

If you haven't seen the VICE special This Is What Winning Looks Like [0], watch it. As a sibling comment said, there was no plausible path to success. It was just a tremendous waste of time and resources, many of which just ended up in terrorist hands. [0] [VIDEO]

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cf141q5325 · 2022-02 · Strong recommendation

Vice news has (or had?) some actual journalists. They hired Ben Anderson whos Afghanistan and Iraq reporting was really impressive. Especially "This is what winning looks like". [VIDEO] If i recall correctly he made the footage when embedded via the BBC and (re)published it on vice? Still incredibly impressed of the footage he managed to shoot as an embedded journalists. I would guess in no small parts due to the integrity of Major Bill Steuber. Unfortunately that seems to have cost him his military career. He is now a security guard in Manhattan. [LINK] Afterwards Anderson mentioned the required style of reporting at Vice negatively (the camera focusing on his reactions) but he stayed with them for a while. Not sure if he is still associated with them. edit: Fixed timestamp & He left vice last year [LINK]

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peterkelly · 2021-08 · Strong recommendation

For a fascinating insight into the disaster that was supposed to be the training of and transition to local security forces, I highly recommend the 2013 documentary "This Is What Winning Looks Like": [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by VICE, played through YouTube.

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