Best magazine reporting from abroad
Packer writes a brilliant overview and analysis of a failed American counter-insurgency effort in Iraq by focusing on a successful stand-alone operation. Reporting from Tal Afar and Washington, he distills the essence of one effort to pacify Iraq, while lamenting that, in general, it is a road not taken by American political and military leaders. Packer’s story features superb writing and on-the-scene reporting. He describes the failed policies which have emboldened U.S. enemies and divided American public opinion. His piece could have been entitled “The Anatomy of a Catastrophe.”
Citation for Excellence:
Ron Moreau and Sami Yousafzai
Newsweek
“Resurgence of the Taliban”