A stunning photojournal of two friends' quest for a deep understanding into what is really going on today in Afghanistan. This book goes beyond the American media stereotypes and shows the Afghan people as they really are, up close, in day-to-day life: peace-loving, poor, and caught in an international chess game. The author probes the question: if most Afghans want peace, why is there still war? And after hundreds of billions of dollars in US military spending, why are Afghans still among the poorest people in the world, combating heart-breaking levels of child malnutrition, rampant hunger, and unemployment? The authors' investigation shows that, although there is corruption on both sides, the lion's share is where one might least expect it: among US and Western contractors more concerned with enriching themselves than helping rebuild the country. This contributes to a vicious cycle of war for which the Pentagon and the US government is most responsible, but which, it turns out, is very profitable for some. This is ultimately a story of hope. Of a future for humanity without war.