Summary

Gates begins Chapter 6 by stating that Iraq was known as the “bad war” because we had chosen it. Afghanistan was called the “good war” because it was one of necessity. Soon after the Afghan war began in late 2001, the Taliban was ousted from power. However, it was soon revitalized on the fringes. The Taliban began killing Americans and others. Many of the difficulties there resulted from problems with neighboring Pakistan, including that country’s habit of providing safe havens for the Taliban and allowing them to infiltrate from their side of the border. Despite meetings at which Gates asked for very specific actions, Pakistan, where the real power is held by the military, did little. The complex, unworkable chain of command among the U.S. and its allies also caused confusion and frustration. Many times even military commanders on the...