5A number of thoughtful books have now been written on Operation Herrick, the British war in Afghanistan. These have been uniformly critical placing the blame on everything from government blunders, to the incompetence of the military, to the incoherent nature of the war on terror. Myth, Muddle and Spin seeks to redress the balance and offers a revisionist view of the war in Afghanistan. Offering a contemporary strategic analysis as well detailed examination of key events, it hopes to debunk myths, 'set the record straight' and make the case that, far from being a bunch of incompetents, Britain's military leaders demonstrated considerable professionalism in the face of an intractable insurgency. The book makes the case that the British government became entrapped in the narrative of America's global war on terror and that other government departments share equal and collective blame for the failures of the British mission in Helmand Province.