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This Is What Winning Looks Like (Full Length)

VICE · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Geopolitics & foreign policyMilitary history & warfareMedia, journalism & propaganda

What it is

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.

Why Hacker News recommends it

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

  • 7 people recommended it
  • 8 different months
  • 4 strong recommendations
  • first 2014, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “I highly recommend giving this a watch though it's very upsetting”

    Illuminating coverage of rebuilding failures; upsetting

    newnewpdro, 2019-02 · Strong recommendation · in “Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff”

  2. “I highly recommend the 2013 documentary”

    Fascinating insight into failed transition to local security forces

    peterkelly, 2021-08 · Strong recommendation · in “Afghan president flees the country as Taliban move on Kabul”

  3. “Ben Anderson whos Afghanistan and Iraq reporting was really impressive.”

    Impressive embedded reporting by Ben Anderson

    cf141q5325, 2022-02 · Strong recommendation · in “Vice Media organised $20M Saudi government festival”

  4. “If you haven't seen the VICE special This Is What Winning Looks Like [0], watch it.”

    Shows war was a waste with no plausible path to success

    pengaru, 2023-02 · Strong recommendation · in “Taliban fighters are sick of the 9 to 5 working desk jobs to run Afghanistan”

  5. “has some great reporting on Afghanistan.”

    Great reporting on the war in Afghanistan

    HenryMc, 2014-06 · Recommendation · in “The U.S. Military’s Campaign Against Media Freedom”

  6. “See this documentary (from 8 years ago) about how utterly lost and helpless this situation has always been”

    Shows how lost and helpless the situation always was

    sureglymop, 2021-08 · Recommendation · in “Fighting Like Taliban”

  7. “Example of Vice's older, higher quality work”

    reaperman, 2023-05 · Recommendation · in “Vice Media to be Acquired by George Soros and Fortress”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: afghanistan, ben anderson, vice, helmand, war reporting

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