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It is not one of your typical dry history books, but more or less comparable to an adventure novel. So this is not really history for me, it is part of my history.I vividly remember the feelings I had when I first heard of the invasion in the news - as vividly as I remember where I was and what I was doing when the first pieces of information about something terrible happening in New York surfaced, 22 years later.What happened in between, in and around Afghanistan, I followed through the usual news channels with interest. This is probably the best non-fiction book I've ever read.When the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan, I was 15 years old. So, here you have it all: detailed information, amazing research, deep inside looks into a secretive world, easy to understand explanations of complex political mechanics and that all presented in a very entertaining (I am not sure if I should really use such a word for this drama. Butt that was just the surface, we were shown on TV and in Newspapers. This book leads us into the background, it guides us through the complex and secretive realm of politics, war and religion, that all played its part in this drama.The focus of this book is the CIA - and the point of view upon the agency is always friendly and only rarely produces criticism.But to be allowed to peek behind the curtain of this secretive theater stage is a rare treat and one cannot expect the protagonists to shovel ashes on their heads.Apart from all the incredibly detailed information (which is annotated by extensive footnotes about the sources), the book also provides a storyline and is written in a very entertaining way. but in lieu of a better word.). fashion.Probably the best non-fiction book I've ever read.
aims and therein, according to Coll, lies the problem. Brzezinski, no friend of the Soviets, persuaded Carter to throw support (albeit non lethal and limited) behind the mujaheddin efforts against the Soviets. It's an excellent primer on Bin Laden, the area politics, U.S. Although Coll points out that terrorism was not at the top of Clinton's agenda because he was more worried about a nuclear showdown between Pakistan and India, he does not excuse his other shortcomings (his lack of willingness to kill Bin Laden when he had a chance for fear of political failure, his lack of leadership in dealing with the CIA, his limited powers and credibility following his relationship with Monica Lewinski, etc).
America became involved in Afghanistan in order to stall the Russian advance into the oil rich region. Stephen Coll's "Ghost Wars" should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand America's involvement in Afghanistan from the late 1970's up to September 11, 2001. There has been some vitriol tossed at Coll by conservative pundits who claim that he's a Clinton apologist. Some may object to this as being outside the scope of the book but I disagree - with Abdullah Azzam, a founder of Hamas, acting as one of bin Laden's early mentors, the link is there and it needs to be explored further. From then on, as other US politicians became involved (notably congressman Charlie Wilson), the U.S.
If they believe this then they haven't read the book. Clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has helped fuel the rise in terrorism and both sides deserve to bear the burden. and Pakistan relations, the Taliban, Ahmed Shah Massoud and, to a lesser extent, Karzai's rise.The book paints a complex picture. I point the reader to page 500 of the hard cover version of "Ghost Wars" to a pointed, and clearly contra Clinton, summary.Where the book falls short, in my opinion, is in the author's reluctance to expound on Israel's role in the rise of the militant jihad movement. relied on Pakistan's military intelligence for distribution of ever increasing aid and intelligence collection.
Sadly, Pakistan's aims in the region were different than the U.S. Although he points out that every major player in the September 11 attacks was at least partly motivated by Israel's actions against the Palestinians, and American support towards such actions, Coll comes nowhere near close to expounding on the American policy in the region, nor Israel's actions.
Not like other books of it's kind, where you can't put them down because they are so interesting. Hard book to read. Author uses a lot of big words that were unnecessary, making the reading go really slow. Husband actually went and bought another book just after getting this one, as it was not holding interest. Would rate it just ok.
arms such as Stinger missiles wind up in the hands of those very same guerrillas.After documenting the defeat of the mighty Soviet Army at the hands of the CIA/ISI/GID-supported mujahideen, Coll turns his attention to the intelligence agencies' often misguided efforts to choose sides in an Afghan civil war that eventually destroys much of Kabul and drives many refugees to Pakistan. Tomahawk Cruise Missile attack simply misses its mark.It becomes obvious from reading Ghost Wars that American efforts to influence events in Afghanistan subsequent to the 1980s Soviet-Afghan War, largely through clandestine operations, were at times counterproductive. Though he would demonstrate limited ability as a field commander, Osama bin Laden aroused bloodlust in these guerrilla fighters that would result in the most lethal act of terrorism in modern history. Coll reveals the events leading to 9/11 not only on the battlefields of Afghanistan, but behind closed doors in the corridors of power in Washington, Islamabad, and Riyadh.Arming the Afghan mujahideen as they wage a vicious and protracted insurgency against the Soviet occupiers in the 80s seems harmless enough.
Through thorough and meticulous research (there are some 50+ pages of endnotes), the author sets an almost impossible standard in reporting. And in an effort to ensure accuracy, he repeatedly checks facts against recently declassified documents, updating the newer printing with the corrected information.The reader struggles to keep up with the many characters that move in and out of the murky and byzantine spy world that is the milieu for this 576-page book. In a shadow world where loyalties wear thin and all is not as it seems, American CIA, Pakistani ISI and Saudi GID agents covertly funnel money, arms, and intelligence to both nascent guerrilla movements and warring Afghan factions through the 1980s and 90s. Incredibly, while American covert operatives support Ahmed Shah Massoud's efforts in the North, our Pakistani 'allies' are funding Pashtun warlords such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the Southeastern part of the country.An unintended consequence of these actions - as the intelligence agencies became preoccupied - is the emergence of extreme radical Islam in the form of al-Qaeda. One can easily argue that those efforts indirectly resulted in more, rather than less, instability in Central and South Asia.
For that alone, Ghost Wars is worth reading. Ghost Wars offers an explanation as to how U.S. Initially intent only on the overthrow of Middle Eastern governments not practicing a pure form of Islam, al-Qaeda's malevolent aims evolve into global jihad against America and her allies and one audacious plot to strike our country. One is left to wonder how these talented and capable government officials missed so many clues in the run-up to 9/11.The detailed character development (including that of Bin Laden) without a doubt is the most satisfying element of Ghost Wars.
Steve Coll offers a fascinating look at the intrigue and internecine rivalries among the intelligence agencies participating unwittingly in the ascendance of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan during the last two decades of the 20th century. In this ambitious work, Coll captures in precise detail the events leading up to 9/11 from the early days of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan through the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, and the USS Cole bombing. Most of the interviews Coll relies on in the book he apparently conducts himself. On more than one occasion the spy agencies (and their government sponsors) discount al-Qaeda as a serious threat and eventually pass on opportunities to strike Bin Laden's camp. It is what truly makes the book worthwhile reading. But the untrained Arabs fighting alongside their intrepid Afghan counterparts fall under the sway of a charismatic young Arab sheik with far greater ambitions than merely pushing the stubborn Soviet Bear back to his den.
Highly recommend for that alone. Bin Laden patiently and painstakingly builds his terrorist organization first in Sudan, then in Eastern Afghanistan while the Afghan civil war rages on. And at one point a U.S. However, Coll carefully constructs the most important characters such as William Casey, George Tenet, and Prince Turki bin Faisal, Head of Saudi Intelligence, such that the reader gains an appreciation for not only what these spymasters thought, but how they thought. For future generations of politicians intent on committing our nation's considerable intelligence resources to shadow wars in far-flung backwaters like Afghanistan, a careful reading of Ghost Wars ought to make them think twice.A Detailed Account of the Events Leading to 9/11.
Part two covers the chaos surrounding the Soviet withdrawal and how this (perhaps more than U.S. It's quite difficult to find credible criticisms of this book as Coll recounts actions under both Republican and Democratic administrations without missing a beat, at the same time earning accolades and recommendations from inside the U.S. Coll does more to help illuminate Massoud's plight to hold Afghanistan together than perhaps anything else in Ghost Wars. Ghost Wars is on the State Department's recommended reading list for those interested in joining the Foreign Service and the book is also highly regarded inside the CIA as well.Ghost Wars is divided into three main sections, each dealing with a different time period in the story of how what happened in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1979 onward led to 9/11.
The consequences of that policy are perfectly clear and it is nothing short of shocking that the U.S. Part one deals with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and how the U.S. & Pakistan helped the Afghans defeat the Red Army. In a book that feels more like a novel than an historical account and certainly doesn't feel like 576 pages, Steve Coll has produced perhaps the definitive account of the events leading up to 9/11. It's shocking really that events in these two countries since 9/11 haven't been much worse than what they have. efforts to stop him leading all the way up to September 10, where the book ends.While the total of this story is the sum of many characters, the ultimate protagonist in Ghost Wars would have to be Ahmed Shah Massoud.
America's relationship with Massoud is a microcosm of the larger relationship with Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion leading all the way up to his assassination on September 10 by al-Qaeda (in preparation for the war they knew would come to Afghanistan), in that America never really gave Afghanistan the thought and attention it deserved. The Soviet's wouldn't have been expelled from Afghanistan had it not been for our efforts, but we were content enough to walk away from what was left of the country as well.
Every book I read on the subject makes it seem like something bad is on the way. government.
continues to pay far less attention than it should to Afghanistan (even early on in the Obama administration).The other underlying theme to Ghost Wars is that Afghanistan cannot be dealt with or understood in the absence of Pakistan. aid to our enemy's enemy) laid the groundwork for the Taliban's grab for power and the creation of a safe haven for al-Qaeda.
Part three details bin Laden's growing strength and the U.S. The amount of influence Pakistan exercises in Afghanistan far outweighs anything any of Iraq's neighbors have managed in Iraq since 2003, and Coll makes that fact startlingly clear.
As I write this review during the economic crisis of 2009, I can't help but wonder how quickly events in these two countries could make the problems America faces today look like a walk in the park.
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