Entries by William Dalrymple

The Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1842

‘It’s easier to go in than to come out.’ Someone might well have been remembering the British withdrawal in 1842 when delivering that advice to the Russians, the Americans or anyone else who has become embroiled in Afghanistan’s complex tribal system. The retreat from Kabul in 1842 was one of the greatest disasters suffered in the history […]