Other people's wars : New Zealand in Afghanistan, Iraq and the war on terror / Nicky Hager.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 355-428) and index.

The 'war on terror' in Afghanistan and beyond has been the longest foreign war in New Zealand history, yet most New Zealanders know almost nothing about their country's part in it. For ten years, nearly everything controversial or potentially unpopular was kept secret, and obscured by a steady flow of military public relations stories. Based on thousands of leaked New Zealand military and intelligence documents, extensive interviews with military and intelligence officers and eye-witness accounts from the soldiers on the ground, Nicky Hager tells the story of these years. New Zealand was far more involved than the public realised in this crucial period of world history. He tells how the military and bureaucracy used the war on terror to pursue private agendas, even when this meant misleading and ignoring the decisions of the elected government. Most importantly, Other People's Wars provides, from a uniquely New Zealand perspective, a vivid and multi-layered picture of the events and politics of the post-9/11 years. This is another extremely important book from one of the world's leading investigative journalists. Once again, Nicky Hager shows why countries need open, transparent government.