Essential background information about our current situation in the Mid-east

books:

	• Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September ... Steve Coll Penguin (Non-Classics), 2004 - 738 pages average customer review:based on 142 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An outstanding piece of research

Steve Coll did an outstanding bit of research to write this book, and his efforts were rewarded with a Pulitzer prize. Anyone who is interested in History, Politics, World Affairs, or "The War on Terror" should read this book. The narrative viewpoint of the book is completely neutral and it chronicals the foreign policy missteps of 4 administrations, as well as in the American intellegence community itself. If you believe that history repeats itself, this book is a must read, because it provides a detailed case study of the long term foreign policy mistakes which directly led to September 11th. It is the best book i have read this year.

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A Riveting History of Events Leading Up To 9-11!

Steve Coll's "Ghost Wars" is an outstanding book! I highly recommend it and give it a 5-star rating. It's a richly written narrative, covering all the key players from the US and CIA, the Soviet Union to both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and their respective intelligence organizations to all the various internal factions that battled for Afghanistan from 1979 to 2001. Also, Coll provides a unique and chilling insight to the rise of the Taliban and al Qaeda along with other radical Islamic groups during this period; plus he explores the geopolitical roles and motives of Iran and India with respect to the region.

Coll rarely injects his opinion; he just lays out the facts. Like a good reporter and true journalist, his writing is balanced, exposing our government's blunders, missteps, actions and reactions both good and bad. He spares no one from Presidents Carter to Clinton, both Bushes and Reagan along with all the supporting cast, from CIA Directors Bill Casey and George Tenet to National Terrorist Czar Richard Clarke, plus numerous other government officials from 1979 to 2001. The chapter on Reagan's CIA Director, Bill Casey and his admiration for Islamic Jihadist as "god-fearing" people, just like him," is a little scary.

Coll lays out the entire history of US covert and overt involvement in Afghanistan from 1979 to September 10, 2001 in chilling detail. Must read for anyone seriously interested in how we arrived at 9-11. Compared to the "9-11 Commission Report," which in my opinion was a "whitewash," Ghost Wars uncovers the true motives and actions of our two so-called allies, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, in the "War on Terror." If anyone thinks either country is among the "Coalition of the Willing," they should read this book; you will be surprised in the roles both countries played in supporting terrorism leading up to 9-11.

Coll's book makes you wonder how vulnerable we continue to be with regards to terrorism, given the fact that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons and promotes regional terrorism, along with the Saudi's who indiscriminately throw money at any radical Jihadist group hoping to buy and insure protection for the royal family. Our support for Israel should be the least of our worries, feeding the world wide Jihadist network with petro dollars from imported oil from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, should make you pause the next time you fill up your SUV.

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Well Done, Mr. Coll! Even-handed and Detailed!

While to say that I enjoyed this book wouldn't be completely accurate, I must say I came away from it with a much better understanding of the history of the Taliban and its ties to US intelligence. My lack of enjoyment of course stems for the seriousness of the subject matter and the deliberate neutrality of Coll's writing. It's very clear that Coll intended that no one view his book as partisan. In fact, the author's opinions are a bit difficult to cull from the text. While there are certainly merits to this approach, it's drawback is that you never get a feeling for Coll's interpretation of the characters and situations culminating in 9-11. Why should you care? Because Mr. Coll has obviously done his homework, is knowledgeable and articulate on the subject matter, and has access to information that many are not privy to. Here is someone in a very good position to synthesize opinions on the implications of US foreign policy both before and after 9-11, and yet little if any independent thinking was present in Ghost Wars. I understand why Coll took this tack, but it's still a shame he didn't take the risk.

Anyway, I've yet to find a better rendering of the history of the rise of the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden.

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Rigorous, fair, well-written

Ghost Wars is a triumph of reporting, analysis and writing. Steve Coll traces more than two decades of U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, detailing with rigor, grace and fair-mindedness the foreign policy miscalculations that led to the rise of al-Qaeda and ultimately 9/11. You read with growing anguish as U.S. policymakers reach decisions that will prove tragic: deferring to Pakistan's military establishment and letting Islamic extremists take power in Afghanistan; refusing to confront the Saudis over their efforts to spread radical Wahhabism; fretting over legal niceties as Osama bin Laden and his acolytes moved closer to fulfilling their dream of mass murder. But Coll does something all too rare in modern journalism: Instead of merely pointing fingers and hurling accusations, he takes his readers into the decision-making process, showing the thinking behind the policies that failed. The men and women who made them weren't stupid; their decisions often made sense from their pre-9/11 perspective. (I remember when, in the mid-90s, the Taliban were viewed with curiosity and something close to hope as they conquered Afghan territory from vicious warlords and established their own brand of law and order.) I differ with Coll in one regard: I am more skeptical than he is about the late anti-Taliban leader Ahmed Shah Massoud. Coll thinks supporting him would have made a big difference. I doubt it -- though we probably should have supported him more anyway given the scarcity of alternatives. I also was left hungering for more information about Taliban leader Mullah Omar: Why did he refuse to a deal with the West before 9/11 that would have given his regime international legitimacy and brought enormous economic benefits to Afghanistan? Why did he choose instead a doomed alliance with bin Laden? This isn't a criticism: How could any Western journalist get reliable access to the inner counsels of the Taliban, let along the medieval workings of Omar's mind?

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Essential background information about our current situation in the Mid-east

After reading this book I felt like I was awakened from a horrible nightmare to find out that it was no dream.

Steve Coll writes a detailed comprehensive and very readable account of the events leading up to 9/11 as they took place in Afganistan and Pakistan starting from events in the late 70s.

I assure you this book will change your understanding of world events and american foreign policy. If you think that Pakistan was ever our friend in the "war on terorism" this book will give you pause. Enjoy.

reviews: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, page 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

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