He was the CIA whiz kid in ‘Charlie Wilson’s War.’ His new book offers advice for the US in Ukraine

By NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the architects of the covert U.S. strategy against the Soviets in Afghanistan has published a new memoir. In “By All Means Available,” Michael Vickers calls on President Joe Biden’s administration to increase its support for Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. Vickers argues the U.S. can do more to help Ukraine win the war and deliver a strong blow to Moscow, similar to what the U.S. was able to do in the 1980s in Afghanistan. His book also examines the mistakes and missed warnings in Afghanistan, where the U.S. just ended a 20-year war in defeat, and what lessons apply to Ukraine today.