Summary

In Chapter 10, Gates says that even 20 years after the U.S. defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan, the American government had learned very little about how the country functions. Early in the Obama administration there was disagreement on the appropriate strategy for Afghanistan going forward, with the military pushing for significantly more troops there, and Gates says that Biden and others helped foster a since of mistrust from the White House regarding military officials, which was worsened by senior White House officials’ lack of experience with military affairs. In March 2009 Obama announced a new strategy that included 17,000 new troops to defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, prevent their return and provide security for Afghan elections, along with an increased civilian effort to help the Afghan government provide services and build an economy not dominated by drugs. Gates felt that a...