The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power (Harmony Books; 2009)

Readers of The New York Times know David Sanger as one of the most trusted correspondents in Washington, one to whom presidents, secretaries of state, and foreign leaders talk with unusual candor. Now, with a historianвЂTMs sweep and an insiderвЂTMs eye for telling detail, Sanger delivers an urgent intelligence briefing on the world America faces. In a riveting narrative, The Inheritance describes the huge costs of distraction and lost opportunities at home and abroad as Iraq soaked up manpower, money, and intelligence capabilities. The 2008 market collapse further undermined American leadership, leaving the new president with a set of challenges unparalleled since Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the Oval Office. Sanger takes readers into the White House Situation Room to reveal how Washington penetrated TehranвЂTMs nuclear secrets, leading President Bush, in his last year, to secretly step up covert actions in a desperate effort to delay an Iranian bomb. Meanwhile, his intelligence chiefs made repeated secret missions to Pakistan as they tried to stem a growing insurgency and cope with an ally who was also aiding the enemy–while receiving billions in American military aid. Now the new president faces critical choices: Is it better to learn to live with a nuclear Iran or risk overt or covert confrontation? Is it worth sending U.S. forces deep into Pakistani territory at the risk of undermining an unstable Pakistani government sitting on a nuclear arsenal? It is a race against time and against a new effort by Islamic extremists–never before disclosed–to quietly infiltrate PakistanвЂTMs nuclear weapons program. “Bush wrote a lot of checks,” one senior intelligence official told Sanger, “that the next president is going to have to cash.” The Inheritance takes readers to Afghanistan, where Bush never delivered on his promises for a Marshall Plan to rebuild the country, paving the way for the TalibanвЂTMs return. It examines the chilling calculus of North KoreaвЂTMs Kim Jong-Il, who built actual weapons of mass destruction in the same months that the Bush administration pursued phantoms in Iraq, then sold his nuclear technology in the Middle East in an operation the American intelligence apparatus missed. And it explores how China became one of the real winners of the Iraq war, using the past eight years to expand its influence in Asia, and lock up oil supplies in Africa while Washington was bogged down in the Middle East. Yet Sanger, a former foreign correspondent in Asia, sees enormous potential for the next administration to forge a partnership with Beijing on energy and the environment. At once a secret history of our foreign policy misadventures and a lucid explanation of the opportunities they create, The Inheritance is vital reading for anyone trying to understand the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead. Readers of *The New York Times* know David Sanger as one of the most trusted correspondents in Washington, one to whom presidents, secretaries of state, and foreign leaders talk with unusual candor. Now, with a historian's sweep and an insider's eye for telling detail, Sanger delivers an urgent intelligence briefing on the world America faces. In a riveting narrative, The Inheritance describes the huge costs of distraction and lost opportunities at home and abroad as Iraq soaked up manpower, money, and intelligence capabilities. The 2008 market collapse further undermined American leadership, leaving the new president with a set of challenges unparalleled since Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the Oval Office.Sanger takes readers into the White House Situation Room to reveal how Washington penetrated Tehran's nuclear secrets, leading President Bush, in his last year, to secretly step up covert actions in a desperate effort to delay an Iranian bomb. Meanwhile, his intelligence chiefs made repeated secret missions to Pakistan as they tried to stem a growing insurgency and cope with an ally who was also aiding the enemy--while receiving billions in American military aid. Now the new president faces critical choices: Is it better to learn to live with a nuclear Iran or risk overt or covert confrontation? Is it worth sending U.S. forces deep into Pakistani territory at the risk of undermining an unstable Pakistani government sitting on a nuclear arsenal? It is a race against time and against a new effort by Islamic extremists--never before disclosed--to quietly infiltrate Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. "Bush wrote a lot of checks," one senior intelligence official told Sanger, "that the next president is going to have to cash."The Inheritance takes readers to Afghanistan, where Bush never delivered on his promises for a Marshall Plan to rebuild the country, paving the way for the Taliban's return. It examines the chilling calculus of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, who built actual weapons of mass destruction in the same months that the Bush administration pursued phantoms in Iraq, then sold his nuclear technology in the Middle East in an operation the American intelligence apparatus missed. And it explores how China became one of the real winners of the Iraq war, using the past eight years to expand its influence in Asia, and lock up oil supplies in Africa while Washington was bogged down in the Middle East. Yet Sanger, a former foreign correspondent in Asia, sees enormous potential for the next administration to forge a partnership with Beijing on energy and the environment. At once a secret history of our foreign policy misadventures and a lucid explanation of the opportunities they create, The Inheritance is vital reading for anyone trying to understand the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead.From the Hardcover edition. World Politics Cover 1 Title page 7 Copyright page 8 Dedication 9 Contents 11 Preface 13 Introduction: The Briefing 19 Photos 35 Part I: Iran – The Mullahs' Manhattan Project [1] 43 1 Decoding Project 111 [3] 45 2 Regime-Change Fantasies [27] 69 3 Ahmadinejad's Monologue [56] 98 4 The Israel Option [86] 128 Part II: Afghanistan – How The Good War Went Bad [109] 151 5 The Marshall Plan That Wasn't [111] 153 6 The Other "Mission Accomplished" [145] 187 Part III: Pakistan – "How Do You Invade An Ally?" [173] 215 7 Secrets of Chaklala Cantonment [175] 217 8 Crossing the Line [232] 274 Part IV: North Korea – The Nuclear Renegade That Got Away [267] 309 9 Kim Jong-Il 8, Bush 0 [269] 311 10 Cheney's Lost War [285] 327 11 "Everything Is Appomattox" [315] 357 Part V: China – New Torch, Old Dragons [345] 387 12 Generation Lenovo [347] 389 13 The Puncture Strategy [375] 417 Part VI: The Three Vulnerabilities [397] 439 14 Deterrence 2.0 [399] 441 15 The Invisible Attack [419] 461 16 Dark Angel [430] 472 Epilogue: Obama's Challenge [445] 487 Acknowledgments [459] 501 Note on Sources [463] 505 Suggested Reading [465] 507 Endnotes [469] 511 Introduction: The Briefing 511 Part I: Iran – The Mullahs' Manhattan Project 512 1 Decoding Project 111 512 2 Regime-Change Fantasies 513 3 Ahmadinejad's Monologue 515 4 The Israel Option 516 Part II: Afghanistan – How The Good War Went Bad 517 5 The Marshall Plan That Wasn't 517 6 The Other "Mission Accomplished" 518 Part III: Pakistan – "How Do You Invade An Ally?" 520 7 Secrets of Chaklala Cantonment 520 8 Crossing the Line 522 Part IV: North Korea – The Nuclear Renegade That Got Away 522 9 Kim Jong-Il 8, Bush 0 522 10 Cheney's Lost War 523 11 "Everything Is Appomattox" 523 Part V: China – New Torch, Old Dragons 524 12 Generation Lenovo 524 13 The Puncture Strategy 525 Part VI: The Three Vulnerabilities 526 14 Deterrence 2.0 526 15 The Invisible Attack 527 16 Dark Angel 528 Epilogue: Obama's Challenge 528 Index [487] 529 A 529 B 530 C 531 D 532 E 532 F 532 G 532 H 533 I 533 J 534 K 534 L 535 M 535 N 536 O 537 P 537 Q 538 R 538 S 538 T 539 U 539 V 539 W 539 Y 540 Z 540 world,politics;,Iran;,Afghanistan;,Pakistan;,North,Korea;,China;,terrorism world politics,Iran,Afghanistan,Pakistan,North Korea,China,terrorism Cover......Page 1 Title page......Page 7 Copyright page......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Preface......Page 13 Introduction: The Briefing......Page 19 Photos......Page 35 Part I: Iran – The Mullahs' Manhattan Project [1]......Page 43 1 Decoding Project 111 [3]......Page 45 2 Regime-Change Fantasies [27]......Page 69 3 Ahmadinejad's Monologue [56]......Page 98 4 The Israel Option [86]......Page 128 Part II: Afghanistan – How The Good War Went Bad [109]......Page 151 5 The Marshall Plan That Wasn't [111]......Page 153 6 The Other "Mission Accomplished" [145]......Page 187 Part III: Pakistan – "How Do You Invade An Ally?" [173]......Page 215 7 Secrets of Chaklala Cantonment [175]......Page 217 8 Crossing the Line [232]......Page 274 Part IV: North Korea – The Nuclear Renegade That Got Away [267]......Page 309 9 Kim Jong-Il 8, Bush 0 [269]......Page 311 10 Cheney's Lost War [285]......Page 327 11 "Everything Is Appomattox" [315]......Page 357 Part V: China – New Torch, Old Dragons [345]......Page 387 12 Generation Lenovo [347]......Page 389 13 The Puncture Strategy [375]......Page 417 Part VI: The Three Vulnerabilities [397]......Page 439 14 Deterrence 2.0 [399]......Page 441 15 The Invisible Attack [419]......Page 461 16 Dark Angel [430]......Page 472 Epilogue: Obama's Challenge [445]......Page 487 Acknowledgments [459]......Page 501 Note on Sources [463]......Page 505 Suggested Reading [465]......Page 507 Introduction: The Briefing......Page 511 1 Decoding Project 111......Page 512 2 Regime-Change Fantasies......Page 513 3 Ahmadinejad's Monologue......Page 515 4 The Israel Option......Page 516 5 The Marshall Plan That Wasn't......Page 517 6 The Other "Mission Accomplished"......Page 518 7 Secrets of Chaklala Cantonment......Page 520 9 Kim Jong-Il 8, Bush 0......Page 522 11 "Everything Is Appomattox"......Page 523 12 Generation Lenovo......Page 524 13 The Puncture Strategy......Page 525 14 Deterrence 2.0......Page 526 15 The Invisible Attack......Page 527 Epilogue: Obama's Challenge......Page 528 A......Page 529 B......Page 530 C......Page 531 G......Page 532 I......Page 533 K......Page 534 M......Page 535 N......Page 536 P......Page 537 S......Page 538 W......Page 539 Z......Page 540 Readers of The New York Times know David Sanger as one of the most trusted correspondents in Washington, one to whom presidents, secretaries of state, and foreign leaders talk with unusual candor. Now, with a historianвЂTMs sweep and an insiderвЂTMs eye for telling detail, Sanger delivers an urgent intelligence briefing on the world America faces. In a riveting narrative, The Inheritance describes the huge costs of distraction and lost opportunities at home and abroad as Iraq soaked up manpower, money, and intelligence capabilities. The 2008 market collapse further undermined American leadership, leaving the new president with a set of challenges unparalleled since Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the Oval Office. Sanger takes readers into the White House Situation Room to reveal how Washington penetrated TehranвЂTMs nuclear secrets, leading President Bush, in his last year, to secretly step up covert actions in a desperate effort to delay an Iranian bomb. Meanwhile, his intelligence chiefs made repeated secret missions to Pakistan as they tried to stem a growing insurgency and cope with an ally who was also aiding the enemy–while receiving billions in American military aid. Now the new president faces critical choices: Is it better to learn to live with a nuclear Iran or risk overt or covert confrontation? Is it worth sending U.S. forces deep into Pakistani territory at the risk of undermining an unstable Pakistani government sitting on a nuclear arsenal? It is a race against time and against a new effort by Islamic extremists–never before disclosed–to quietly infiltrate PakistanвЂTMs nuclear weapons program. “Bush wrote a lot of checks,” one senior intelligence official told Sanger, “that the next president is going to have to cash.” __The Inheritance__ At once a secret history of our foreign policy misadventures and a lucid explanation of the opportunities they create, is vital reading for anyone trying to understand the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead.

The Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times examines the effect the Bush Administration s foreign and domestic policies will have on global politics.

This trenchant analysis of the Bush Administration s legacy is a riveting, behind-the-scenes account of the foreign policy decisions that have come out of the White House in the last eight years. Detailing the administration s few successes and its stunning string of failures, this audiobook maps the world America faces after the Bush presidency. A veteran reporter with unprecedented access to Bush Administration officials, David E. Sanger provides keen insight to the complex challenges facing the next president, from rebuilding Afghanistan to preventing Iran and North Korea from becoming nuclear-armed states.


From the Compact Disc edition.

The Barnes & Noble Review

David Sanger is at home in the corridors of power, whether in Washington, D.C. (where he has been covering the White House for The New York Times throughout the Bush presidency) or in the military compounds housing Pakistan's generals. His reportage focuses on interviewing world leaders and their aides in paneled offices and underground situation rooms, rather than the man (or woman) on the street or the terrorists and secret operatives in the back alleys. Through his interviews with top officials, who defend and justify or disavow and repudiate policies in which they had been involved, Sanger has produced one of the most comprehensive -- and harrowing -- accounts of American foreign policy ever written.

The chief Washington correspondent of *The New York Times* offers a riveting insider's account describing the national security crises that will confront America's next president from a nuclear Iran to the lock up of Chinese oil supplies in Africa.