Part I. Into Afghanistan -- The train-up -- KAF world -- Part II. Into Dand -- Settling in -- Ousting the Taliban -- Nazak's grand bargain -- Priming the economy -- Waiting to work -- Kick-starting the staff -- Outpost life -- Security holds -- Women's work -- Part III. Dand in the balance -- Stealing from women -- Still starved of money -- Corruption of many kinds -- Holding back the Taliban -- The economy misses -- Solutions made in Washington -- Dand in the balance -- Part IV. On to Maiwand -- Two districts -- Security failing in Maiwand -- Drugs, not jobs -- Epilogue.
Summary:
"Douglas Grindle provides a firsthand account of how the war in Afghanistan was won in a rural district south of Kandahar City and how the newly created peace slipped away when vital resources failed to materialize and the United States headed for the exit. By placing the reader at the heart of the American counterinsurgency effort, Grindle reveals little-known incidents, including the failure of expensive aid programs to target local needs, the slow throttling of local government as official funds failed to reach the districts, and the United States' inexplicable failure to empower the Afghan local officials even after they succeeded in bringing the people onto their side. Grindle presents the side of the hard-working Afghans who won the war and expresses what they really thought of the U.S. military and its decisions. Written by a former field officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development, this story of dashed hopes and missed opportunities details how America's desire to leave the war behind ultimately overshadowed its desire to sustain victory."--Goodreads.com.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.