A new book titled ‘Obama’s Wars’ by the celebrated journalist Bob Woodward is expected to be released over the weekend. But excerpts published in US press have kicked up a political storm. The excerpts reveal deep differences within the Obama administration over the conduct of the Afghan war.

Woodward, who together with Carl Bernstein exposed the Watergate Scandal that brought down President Nixon, was given wide access to the White House. The excerpts suggest that the Obama views on Afghan war were at variance with the Pentagon and that the President was allowing politics to determine the course of the war instead of protecting national interests. It also shows him attempting to keep a balance between General Petraeus who is demanding a surge in Afghanistan and the Vice President, Mr Joe Biden who favours a troop limited approach. The US is not exactly winning the war in Afghanistan and trying to crack a deal with the Taliban for a face-saving exit. The book is expected to throw more light on rumours that the CIA has created an elite fighting force of 3,000 Afghan fighters who are engaged in hunting down Taliban elements. However, excerpts are always meant to titillate, increase curiosity about the book and create the atmosphere for a successful launch. A clearer picture on how and what the Obama administration hopes to achieve in Afghanistan could perhaps emerge only after the book is released.