Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile is an incredible yet true story of perhaps the largest and the most expensive covert operation in our immediate history. The major protagonist, Charlie Wilson is a six-feet-four-inch Texas Congressman. He gets involved in serial affairs with beauty queens and belly dancers, appears liberal on most issues, keeps the most handsome, personal staff in Washington, and drinks excessively, or rather nearly to his death and destruction. But Charlie is also the man who believes in underdogs, in anti-communist policies, in support of Israel on one hand and on the other, to build 'a billion dollar a year' funding for covert operation in Afghanistan, for the US sponsored jihad against the Soviets. The importance of this story must be measured in terms of the consequences that Charlie Wilson's War brought upon the world. The defeat and dissolution of USSR in late nineties, rise of Taleban and Al Qaeda leading to the September 11 attacks and ongoing Afghan and Iraq war in their aftermath, the twenty years of (spin-off) terrorism in Kashmir, all are the consequences of the Charlie Wilson's War.

While Charlie is the politician, the man on the ground, is an equally improbable character. Enter a second generation Greek-American, street-smart CIA operative, Gust Avrakotos. His language is infested with slurs. He is an outcaste of sorts in the ivy league dominated detective agency. Crile introduces him in a chapter titled "A rogue elephant in the agency woods". Gust's character was brewed in small town bar-fights and brawls. Gust has had his share of adventures and misadventures before he got involved as the operative that masterminded the ground operation in Charlie Wilson's War. While Charlie would run through Congressional committees to get the money sanctioned, and find Israeli or Egyptian or European or American arm dealers (or politicians) to get insane amounts of ammunition, Gust worked out how, what, where, when of the mission they both loved. The mission of killing the communists. In that mission, the jihadists, the Afghans with all their tribes and peculiarities, seemed the perfect warriors for the agency as well as the key actors in the game.

The novel, like the movie based on it, moves through landscapes that tell you something about each character. Like the young Charlie transports as many voters as possible to the voting booth in Texas, to ensure that the guy who shot his dog loses the case. Gust grows up in a small town, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and then learns about the distastes and despair of men of different nationalities, basically when he just needs to figure out how to sell more cigarettes to bars frequented by Russians, Lebanese, Serbs, Poles, Greeks and so on. Charlie Wilson always gets into trouble, whether it is a case that made him famous as Cocaine Charlie (he got away due to lack of evidence), or a hit-and-run case, where he eventually was saved by his more than supportive staff. He has the gall to take a belly dancer to Egypt and have her perform for the minister there. He had one or the other pretty woman by his side, while he met 'the holy warriors who were destined to destroy the evil Russian empire'. Gust and other characters are developed in great detail, and if it were only a novel, I would perhaps say something about plot, writing style, sequence of events and so on. While this reads like a spy novel, with lots of sex bombs and lots of exploding bombs, Congressmen and Russian army, belly dancers and Mujahideen, billions of dollars and exotic locations, the mind-boggling thing is that Charlie Wilson's War is a line by line description of how our world was transformed. Not necessarily into a better place!

An old Indian adage says: "Behind every successful man, there is a woman". Charlie Wilson was seduced into the mission of fighting Russians and helping Afghans (termed as freedom fighters by Reagen) by the ever resourceful , glamorous, social lioness, Texas bombshell, Joanne Herring. Crile says, "In the pivotal first years of jihad, she became the matchmaker and muse to Pakistan's Muslim fundamentalist, military dictator, Zia-ul-Haq, as well as to the scandal prone Charlie Wilson". Joanne brought together the key players, Charlie, Zia, Saudi princes, and so on, who later fought and financed the war, and yes, all this was happening behind the scenes. The most interesting bits in the novel are where it gets into details of how much money was used to finance these missions, how weapons were acquired by fair and unfair means, even donkeys that carried weapons in Afghanistan were imported at exorbitant price, and how many nations were involved in this mission.

To quote from the book:
"No insurgency had ever enjoyed such a range of support: a country (Pakistan) completely dedicated to providing it with sanctuary, training and arms, even sending its own soldiers along as advisers on military operations; a banker (Saudi Arabia) that provided hundreds of millions in funds with no strings attached; governments (Egypt and China) that served as arms suppliers; and the full backing of a superpower (the United States through CIA). All of that plus various kinds of support from different Muslim movements and governments, as well as intelligence services of England, France, Canada, Germany, Singapore, and other countries."

It is true that this support inflicted heavy losses on the Russian army and air force. It is true that Charlie Wilson's War was the grand punch which bought down the Soviet Empire. It is true that the mission remained covert in spirit and achieved its goals by using some of greatest resources (brainpower, muscle, technology, espionage). The grand warriors of that time, the Afghan freedom fighters, were even transported to American hospitals for treatment. What is curious and interesting, for it is most apparent throughout the story, is the fact that the extreme fervor of jihadis, their hate for people outside their tribe and culture, was ever staring in the face of the key operatives. If ends satisfy means, then Charlie Wilson's War was a justified, for it met its initial aim. But, but... things must come a full circle, and the story just doesn't end with Wilson's script.

The Russians left, but the tribal mistrust that has existed for centuries did not. The warriors were not disarmed, were not resettled, and to top it, a whole system of planning, organizing and manning armed struggle was created. Soon these jihadis were up in arms against each other, and Afghanistan continued to bleed. Many warriors were now sent to other missions. Kashmir and Punjab in India became hot beds of militancy, and the weaponry and savagery procured for fighting Russians destroyed the peace and sub-cultures there. Since Zia was the man in charge of covert operation, he was kept in power (that he had hung Bhutto, democratically elected leader, was forgiven) and the amount of money poured into Pakistan then, was what financed their nuclear arsenal, their army and their propensity to support jihadis against chosen enemies. Later and before, US supported such dictators to meet their ends in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Only a decade after the grand exit of Russian army, American armies were to enter Afghanistan to hunt for Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and Taleban... and fight against some of the very people US & CIA has trained and armed with their taxpayers money. It is said in India that whenever outsiders tried to rule the Afghans, they failed or they perished soon after, and this legend dates back up to the times of Alexander. The unsuspecting British army had a harsher experience in early nineteenth century. But of course, in this case, even the more immediate history is not discussed or remembered. It is not recalled that every exhibition of brutality by the jihadis that has hit headlines in the past decade was cheered when it was done against the Russians. Every tactic of using air force to bomb villages in Afghanistan was criticized by the US when the planes and pilots were Soviet. Sadly, only the characters have changed, the methods, motives and means have not, the telling effects on a country ravaged by war are very much there. Charlie Wilson's War is a reminder of not only how a war was won, but also of how the neo-enemy of United States was created out of a breed of men who wanted to fight and slaughter their enemies with bare hands.

In Mahabharata, unarguably the greatest epic poem ever written, it becomes clear that in wars, there are no real winners. There is no moral war, for in a war, men and armies use any means possible to win. Even though the valor is real, there are heroic fights, exhibitions of skill and martial superiority, the only outcome a war warrants is the destruction of both parties. Charlie Wilson's War ends with an epilogue titled: "Unintended consequences". Since we live in a world terrified of these unintended consequences, since we wish to understand how it all began, and how is it all carried out, we all must take time to read the Charlie Wilson's War. While the movie gives a sampler of what the book portrays, the movie is not full of as many details or rather, it is impossible for anyone to assimilate this information so easily. Yet, if it were not for the unintended consequences, and if it were not all real, Charlie Wilson's War makes for a 'fun' reading. Once you start thinking about it, which you will, it turns into a horror. Since it is better to face the facts and fight our ghosts, I recommend this book to every thinker, politician, historian, American and human being living in our times.

A round of applause for this author for his research. A lot of these things that happenned I thought only happened in movies. I enjoyed the audio book, because the narrarator was exceptionally good. Anyone who is interested in Afghanistan I think must read this book as they will understand the country's politics more. Why four stars and not five? The final 2 discs were a bit long, but that should not be taken away from the rest of it.

Any writer would be hard put to invent a story like this and make it believable. Sometimes, however reality surpasses fiction.A good example of the saying " biting the hand that feeds you". But then on the other hand there is the fact that giving with an ulterior motive can often "Backfire" (in this case literally)
Crile does an amazing bit of reporting and has gathered an enormous amount of info, which he delivers in a very agreeable non boring way.It is an easy and pleasant read and much better than most action or spy novels. Once you start you cannot put it down.

I have already reviewed this once. But I'll do it again. Excellent book, fun to read, good service. It came on time and was in good condition.

George Crile's "Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History" is one of the few books that can really live up to its name, for Charlie Wilson's story truly is an extraordinary story. The problem is, the story is so extraordinary and amazing that it was hard to believe everything the author wrote.

Having first seen the movie, I assumed that much of the story was Hollywood hype and glamour. However, everything in the movie comes from the book, and the movie only tells part of the incredible story of how Charlie Wilson and one CIA agent became the driving force behind the CIA's massive covert operations in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Wilson's drive to help the Afghans fight the Soviets, and his willingness to bend, break, or ignore any rule that got in his way, really did play a major role in the downfall of the Soviet Union.

Crile's book also further draws out what an intriguing character Charlie Wilson was. The movie touches on his cocaine scandal and his womanizing, but the book gives countless more details and anecdotes about Charlie Wilson the playboy and party animal. Crile also recounts how Charlie Wilson abused his position as a Congressman and flew himself and his girlfriends around the world, first class, on taxpayers' dimes. It's no wonder the excesses of the 1980s Congress were later reined in. The reader is left with a complex picture of an ideologically driven, but amoral and unethical, politician.

This is a very good book that tells an interesting and before unrevealed story. However, it fails to place Charlie Wilson in the context of the larger Cold War effort to stop the Soviets in Afghanistan, and thus suffers from too much aggrandizement of Charlie and his friends. It is well-written and full of larger than life characters (Wilson's CIA partner, Gust Avrakatos, is in many ways more interesting than Wilson) and should be read by anyone intrigued by the movie or with an interest in the Cold War, covert operations, or the Afghan War.

Great book. I actually know Charlie - he is still a character. Enjoyed the movie too.

I have to swallow my pride here and admit that I hadn't heard of this book before the movie came out, which is a shame because you can't really understand how 9/11 happened if you're not familliar with Charlie Wilson. This is the ultimate story of unintended consequences and 'least worst' options as well as how a skilled operator can sidestep almost every rule in the book to get something done.

This book gives a detailed description of how had it not been for Charlie Wilson's actions, the US most likely wouldn't have given the Afghan resistance the support needed to take down the Soviet Union. Most people will point to these events and claim that the US planted the seeds of 9/11 by arming the mujahideen. While that's a fair point, this argument always leaves out any discussion of what would have happened if the Soviets were allowed to have free reign in Afghanistan. The events orchestrated by Wilson played a big part in the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it's impossible to tell what would have happened otherwise. We'll never know, but it's hard to imagine a world better off by standing by and doing nothing in Afghanistan.

I've seen people reviewing this book complain about the lack of footnotes and that this somehow means the book isn't credible. I suppose I can understand where these criticisms come from, but in the end I don't think they're valid. The whole point of this story was that it involved events that took place behind closed doors and off the record. Had there been a paper trail of what Wilson and Avrakotos were doing, they wouldn't have gotten far at all. Crile isn't writing some attack book here. Based on the nature of this story, I don't think Crile should be faulted, doubted, or attacked because he pieced together the book from the accounts of the participants.

In the end, this is a remarkable (and remarkably well-written) book. Even if you don't believe a word of it, it reads like a novel and I found it hard to put the book down. Anyone even remotely interested in contemporary history in general, or US foreign policy and 9/11 would do well to read this book.

Who says non-fiction can't be as riveting as fiction? This very thoroughly researched and meticulous examination of Charlie Wilson and the role he played in the demise of the Soviet Union's ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan is entertaining in addition to being informative. I thought I understood the Afghan conflict before reading this book, but quickly realized that I didn't even know half the story. It is an absolute must for anyone interested in the subject. One thing that did surprise me is that the book really is about Charlie Wilson, not about the Afghan conflict itself. There are tidbits about the war - a story here, a story there - but it is first and foremost a book about Charlie Wilson himself and a behind-the-scenes look at the war.

I watched the movie Charlie Wilson's war and thoroughly enjoyed it but wondered if it was an accurate portrayal of the actual people and events. Reading the book made me realize how much more to the story there was. The characters from the movie are much more complex than presented and the political backround much more facinating. The book makes it clear what an extraordinary feat it was for Clarlie, Gust and a host of others to enable the Afgans to defeat the Russian army. It also provides insight into Afganistan that helped me realize the complex situation we now find ourselves in in that nation post 9/11. I encourage anyone who wants a more thorough understanding of the story presented in the film to read this book.

Book was in better condition than I had expected. Shipping was fast and I was kept abreast of shipping etc. VERY satisfied.

This is without a doubt the best non-fiction book I have ever read. The plot, the characters and the writing were all brilliant. A truly exhilirating thrill ride. I couldn't put the book down - in fact, I missed my bus stop reading the book.

When I finished, I felt that I had lost my close friends, and that my life had just gotten a little less exciting.

If you want a thrilling, titilating, over-the top book that never lets up in terms of entertainment, than this is the book for you.

If there were six, seven or even eight stars, I would award those to this book too.

In a word - Awesome!

Charlie Wilson's War may be one-sided, but it's still a very interesting read, especially in these post-9/11 days. Years before the words Taliban and al Qaeda were in everyday use, or for that matter, even familiar to most Americans, the CIA was waging a secret war in Afghanistan.
Having grown up in the tail end of the Cold War, the threat of the USSR never really gripped me the way it did the generations prior to me. We laughed at the comical "Duck and Cover" commercials when we watched them in history class, but my parents spoke of the real terror they felt at the time. In reading Charlie Wilson's War, I had a glimpse into the mindset of that time period, when we were willing to be friends with anyone who was willing to oppose the Communist Threat. Hindsight being what it is, we of course recognize that Charlie Wilson helped arm the same group that would later assist in horrendous attacks on the United States and kill American men and women in armed conflict with weapons purchased by their tax payer dollars. The implications in the book are astounding and make you wonder about the actions that government takes on our behalf. Second and third order effects were clearly not considered.
I don't chastise Charlie Wilson for not recognizing the future of the Taliban - no one else did, and we woke up when a clear day in NYC was blotted out. This book provides at least a part of the background necessary to begin to ask ourselves why and how we live in the world as it is today.
Forget the politics of it, and focus on how seemingly small decisions have huge impact, and you'll probably begin to look at the decisions made by Congress and the Government with a slightly more critical eye to what they mean for the future.
The movie is highly entertaining, and the book reads very quickly, so even if you don't read more into it, it's an entertaining endeavor.

I ordered this book upon the strong recommendation of two of my best - and brightest - friends. They said that it is a "must" read. Due to illness, I have not actually read it, but I can tell everyone that if my two friends think so highly of it, it must be a 6-Star read! I can't wait to dig into it and, because of those who recommended it to me, I assure you that the book should be on your list.

Bob K.
Litchfield, CT

Unreliable story of the CIA involvement in the Afghan War. Lots of insight of the secret in and out of our clandestine service. Interesting read but at the same time lots of grandstanding by the author toward the subject of the book which sometime seem a bit hard to believe. Recommended reading for anyone who is a history buff and would like to expand his/her detailed knowledge of the downfall of Communism and the last military action of the cold war. Don't bother to compare the movie; like most of the time, is the book according to Hollywood re writers. The movie is definitely not worth the money unless you receive it as a gift.

This book was really interesting at first, but I couldn't keep reading beyond a few hundred pages. The author keeps saying the same things over and over and over again (I got it, Charlie Wilson was tall and good looking, Gust was working class, etc.) He restates the same things so many times, it seems like he things readers are stupid and can't remember anything from prior chapters.

At first, I enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the CIA and the House of Representatives, etc. But this book is so tedious, I can't summon the attention span to finish reading it.

I almost always read a book before seeing the related movie because I like to read the more detailed story. In this case I am hoping the movie does a much better job of just telling the story without all of the extra noise and redundancy.

The book gets 3 stars for its entertainment value and for a useful history of the extent of U.S. involvement in the Soviet-Afghanistan War. As for its essential thesis that "good guys" Charlie Wilson and Gust Avrokotos won the Cold War by bitch-slapping all the sissies running the American foreign policy establishment, that's a bunch of right wing pap.

Wilson is an out-of-control alcoholic Texas congressman who pushed for more funding of the Afghan rebels. Avrokotos is the foul-mouthed, street kid recruited by the CIA who does not quite fit in with its ivy-league culture. Of the two, Avrokotos is far more interesting and appealing.

The problem I have with this fable is its assumption that only Wilson and Avrokotos were savvy enough to see the strategic value of bleeding the Soviets in Afghanistan, thereby returning the favor of Vietnam. This wasn't exactly rocket science. The reluctance of policymakers to push too far too fast in Afghanistan made all the sense in the world, given that Afghanistan was on the border of the Soviet Union. Do you think we'd take kindly to Soviet arms shipments to rebels fighting our troops stationed in Grenada or Panama?

Also, apart from provoking World War III, the arms shipments raise the issue of the extent to which the Cold War is a military battle and the extent to which it is a political battle. The founding strategic father of the Cold War, George Kennan, complained that policymakers kept pushing to militarize the Cold War, whereas he viewed the containment policy as a sophisticated use of economic and political levers, with graduated military measures as a last resort.

Right wing zealots are quick to claim credit for victory in the Cold War because their crew happened to be in power when the Wall and the Kremlin fell. To some extent, whether in technology, science, literature, or politics, we all stand on the shoulders of the giants of the past. This is especially the case here. The Cold War was a bipartisan effort patiently fought over the course of a half-century, and the United States won because, as envisioned by Kennan in 1946, the Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its own contradictions.

Indeed, the history of the Cold War is often the history of efforts by more sober leaders like Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Gorbachev, Brezhnev, and even Krushchev to tame the crazies who wanted to escalate the Cold War. Even Charlie Wilson and Avrokotos admit that the Reagan Administration & its allies were full of dangerous right-wing crazies (Humphrey, Ollie North, and I'd put CIA Director Casey in that category as well). Is Wilson really different from these clowns? Is he really the sober (what a word to describe Wilson) foil for a nut job like Senator Humphrey? The author wants you to believe that.

Of course, even Crile recognizes the "unintended consequence" of American aid in spurring on Islamic extremism. It's hard to give Wilson too many high-fives given what ended up happening in Afghanistan.

What should they have done? Well, given that the Soviet Union never did retaliate, it does appear that more and more military aid to the Afghan rebels was the right strategy. I question the huge volume sponsored by Wilson. Had there been no Wilson, would we have done nothing and sent the Afghans no military aid, and just caved? I seriously doubt it. The Afghan war would have been lost by the Soviets and we wouldn't have spent quite so much money or acted quite so provocatively and maybe we could have forged some better and longer lasting political alliances in this area. Don't you think it would have better for American foreign policy to have the aid perceived as coming from the President and tied to all sorts of quid pro quos -- as opposed as coming from a rogue Texas congressman? Doesn't allowing the Afghans and Pakistanis to say "Charlie did it" allow them at the same time to feel no obligation to Reagan or Bush?

And if what happened here was not complete Soviet withdrawal, but some sphere of influence for the Russians, would that have been the end of the world as we know it? No. Afghanistan itself did not have great importance; the fear was whether this was a stepping stone to the projection of Soviet power into the Middle East. That projection of Soviet power could have been fended off without absolute victory in Afghanistan. And, as we learned in Iraq, be careful of the absolute victory you wish for. In the end, the goal of foreign policy is not to rack up military victories but to create order and stability so that American interests can flourish.

So I don't particularly like the "John Wayne" approach of guys like Wilson. That approach has proven time and again to be stupid, self-indulgent, and self-destructive.

Personally, Wilson appears to be extraordinarily funny and charming. But the picture is a bit too charitable. It's hard to have much respect for him after the drunken hit and run episode and after all the out-of-control drinking. I feel a great deal of warmth for Avrokotos, who is truly funny and, despite his own demons and mean streak, is someone who comes off as more of a true patriot than Wilson.

It's a fun story that is fun to read. I just don't buy the attempt to lionize Wilson or the idiot element of the right wing he represents.

Well, our government wasn't exactly out to get us, but it was hell-bent on conducting a covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. And it did. Charlie Wilson's War is the story of how the largest covert operation got haplessly underway and finished happily. Congressman Wilson from Lufkin, Texas, is the most unlikely of heroes and his CIA buddy is a counterculture misfit in a spy agency full of snobs recruited out of the Ivy League. When they team up with a rich socialite from Houston with "can do" connections here and in Pakistan, the game is on. The movie was amazing even if you're not a fan of the predictable casting of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. (You can watch it for Philip Seymour Hoffman; he's worth the price of admission.) But the book is even better with more details about what the heck was going on. The reader simply can't believe that a covert war, a successful one at that, was conducted under our very noses by medieval mujahideen warriors on horseback wielding ground-to-air missiles. You can't make this stuff up. Highly recommended.

This book is a very personality-centered look at the U.S. response to the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Don't expect to find any elucidation on the political turmoil in Afghanistan in the 70s' that may lend understanding to the Russian's actions; don't expect to find much consideration of the broad geopolitical thinking at the highest levels of the U.S. government and how the Afghanistan situation fit at the time. It seems scarcely possible that a relatively unimportant congressman could almost independently drive U.S. policy in an area with obvious risk implications for the U.S. Viewed from today's perspective, the ramifications of that knee-jerk reaction to Afghanistan in the 1980s has been quite severe.

Charlie Wilson, a gregarious sort and womanizer extraordinaire, was a populist U.S. Congressman from Texas, who was pro-military and fervently anti-Communist. He apparently fell under the spell of Houston socialite Joanne Herring, a member of various right-wing organizations, to address the plight of Afghan refugees and fighters. As a member of a House subcommittee responsible for funding covert operations, Wilson was able to repeatedly increase appropriations to fund the Afghan mujahideen in their resistance to the occupying Soviets. He later operated in concert with Gust Avrakotos, a crusty CIA agent with extensive knowledge of the Near East. Other key personalities were Mike Vickers, a CIA logistics expert and unheralded facilitator of the Afghan response, and Zia al Huq, the Pakistani dictator, who was concerned with being squeezed by the Russians and India and welcomed Charlie Wilson with open arms.

The book provides some insight into the conservative, containment thinking of the CIA. The CIA was conceived of as an elitist organization with definite protocols, where boat-rocking was frowned upon. Wilson and Avrakotos, a Greek ethnic, working-class Pennsylvanian and always an outsider at the CIA, challenged the CIA strategy of supplying the Afghans with antiquated rifles to simply be a thorn in the side of the Russians. The CIA leadership had to be dragged into accepting the arming of the mujahideen with rocket launchers to shoot down Soviet Hind helicopters, which ultimately resulted in the Soviet withdrawal.

It is disconcerting that the U.S. Congress seems to operate on the back-scratching principle, though the author was rather accepting of that mode of operation. Wilson was able to persuade others to increase funding by the judicious use of taxpayer-funded junkets and calling in stored IOUs. Though perhaps admirable from one perspective, Wilson was also able to navigate the tricky waters of involving both the Israelis and the Egyptians in possible arms sales to aid the Muslim Afghans, but he definitely was operating outside the bounds of U.S. policy if not legalities.

The book is long and repetitious with Wilson's every trip to Pakistan and elsewhere described in detail, not to mention his latest girlfriend who then simply disappears - what was the point? The author seems to rely greatly on the remembrances of Wilson and Avrakotos, including exact conversations of twenty years ago, many of which seem exaggerated and/or self-promoting. The book is not really satisfactory as biography, nor as broader commentary on U.S. foreign policies and operations, except in an inadvertent sense. Is this really how we operate? One would have expected greater condemnation from the author.

Comment on the movie: It captures the flavor of the book, but, due to time constraints, is very fragmentary. Without having read the book, most viewers would have to be utterly lost, as most actions and conversations have little or no context. Roberts and Hoffman are slightly miscast. Movie not recommended.

Recommended to me by a friend, this book added immeasurably to my foreign service experience in Afghanistan. I'm the same age as Charlie Wilson, and have been part of the Foreign Service during the years described in the book. The preposterous antics of Charlie and Gust came to life as they maneuvered their way through the war on the side of the Mujahadin. I have been to most of the places the book takes the reader - Charlie Wilson's War made it all come back to life for me. An extremely good read - I hope they make a movie of it.

Okay, a very entertaining read -- who doesn't love an outlaw, especially an altruistic one, and this book is filled with wannabe Robin Hoods robbing the federal government to support those Red-killing freedom fighters/holy warriors/Stone Age throwbacks in Afghanistan.

But when I finished it I couldn't help but wonder, why does it take the prospect of annihilating an enemy to mobilize this kind of passion and commitment and drive? What would our nation look like today if Charlie was outraged, not by the US being handed our lunch by the AK-47 in Vietnam, but by the abysmal state of US health care? Education? The economy? The environment? He annihilated his enemy, no question, Success R Us in this outreach program, but did he really leave us with a better world?

It also bothered me that Crile never addresses the irony of Charlie Wilson, that manifest lover of many women, almost single-handedly handing over power to the Taliban, inarguably the most women-hating, women-abusing bunch of guys who ever ran a country.

A long but quick and fun read (just like it's title), Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times is a great novel to read in your spare time. The book is brings light to history that most of the world never heard about--but still important all the same. Even in novelization, Charlie Wilson is a most charismatic man who will leave an impression on everyone that learns about him.

I ordered the book "Charlie Wilson's War" gently used. It was in great condition. I was trying to read the book in time for my book club so wish it had arrived a few days faster but it was within the 10 day shipping window.

I read the book after I had seen the movie (which was a lot of fun) to find out more about what really happened. Well, I did find out, but was quite disappointed.

The book was not nearly as enjoyable as the movie. This was not because it was too political-analytical (I can handle political-analytical), but because it was not very well written. The author could not decide if he wanted to write a political-factual account or a novelistic thriller. Or rather he tried a novelistic thriller, but was just not good at it. So the book is too long, with too many cliches, at times fluffy when it should be precise, at times repetitious, and the psychology of the characters, especially of the Muslim characters, is rather flat. What this book really needs is a good editor and two or three re-writes.

All this it too bad, because the facts behind the book are indeed astonishing and it covers a piece of recent history that is well worth knowing. Read it -- but do not expect too much pleasure.

Charlie Wilson's War should be considered part 1 of a CIA trilogy, to be followed by Steve Coll's Ghost Wars and George Tenet's At the Center of the Storm

Whether or not you completely buy Zia-ul-Haq's assertion that Charlie Wilson was almost single-handedly responsible for the Mujahideen victory over the Soviet Union in the Afghan War, George Crile's fascinating book makes it clear that he played a decisive role in the eventual victory, and by extension, the collapse of Communism, which followed shortly thereafter. From his seat on the Defense appropriations subcommittee, this little-known Texas Congressman with a taste for the good life managed to build a bizarre coalition of allies, including a Texas socialite, a street-wise CIA agent, and the Governments of Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. These seeming blood enemies were united by two things their love and respect for Charlie, and their desire to kill Russians. Crile chronicles the way in which Charlie was able to greatly increase the CIA's budget to fight the war, using any means at his disposal, constantly blurring the line between illegal activities. After winning the funding, he was surprised to find that his toughest battle was yet to come. He had to fight against the agency's bureaucracy to get them to spend the money on weapons (many supplied by his contacts in foreign governments) which he thought would tip the balance in favor of the Afghans, eventually including the Stinger missile which proved to be the war's decisive weapon.

Crile's writing reads like an Ian Fleming novel at times, and he does a great job of exploring the inner forces which drove Wilson to pursue his personal crusade against communism while simultaneously battling his own inner demons. The author refrains from making value judgments throughout the book, ultimately letting the readers decide for themselves who Charlie Wilson is. Is he Good-Time-Charlie, the egotistical, power-hungry substance-abusing ladies man who often behaved as if the laws that he helped make didn't apply to him? Or is he a hero who vanquished the evil empire, championed the underdog, and used his power to help the powerless, while spreading freedom throughout the world? The truth lies somewhere in between. At the very least Charlie Wilson's War is a cautionary tale of how powerful one congressperson can be.

Some people have criticized Crile, saying that he failed to emphasize the way in which the events that Charlie helped set in motion may have led to the events of September 11th, 2001. In response I would say that this is merely one man's story, a small segment of a much larger war. Those interested in a more comprehensive picture of the CIA's operations in Afghanistan should read Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll.

My only criticism of the book was that the writing became repetitive whenever a character was re-introduced to the story after being absent from the narrative for a chapter or two. It seemed as if he repeated the same biographical details at least three times for some characters.

This is the first Kindle book I've read that used footnotes, and I'm pleased to report that they worked perfectly.

George Crile has written a great book about a huge national failing. While I applaud Wilson for his staunch anti-communist principles, I found it utterly repugnant that a loose cannon congressman could (and would) use every form of political trickery and heavy-handedness to pursue his personal vendetta against the Russians in Afghanistan in contravention to established constitutional principles. Amazingly, I found the brilliant blue-collar CIA operative Gust Avrakotos much more likeable and professional (believe it or not) than Wilson by comparison.

Crile makes a point of telling the story from as many vantage points as possible, and always attempts to provide not only accounts of the actions of all the principals involved, but tries to analyze their motivations as well. The book is exceedingly well documented for a work of this nature, and Crile has certainly written the most important book on US involvement in the Afghan war. I came away from reading this much enlightened, but ultimately disillusioned that a single blowhard congressman could not only secretly commit the country to a war not being directed from the executive branch, but could repeatedly be re-elected by a largely conservative base when he repeatedly and routinely committed gross ethical, moral, and legal offences: I was singularly unamused by his chronic self-absorption, self-aggrandizement, and self-destruction. Wilson hijacked the foreign policy of the United States and inserted the country into a proxy war in Afghanistan, a decision that has had huge implications since. Amazingly, even in a post-9/11 world, Wilson refuses to take any responsibility for his part in the extraordinarily adverse geopolitical fallout of providing huge caches of weapons and training to extremists in Afghanistan.

I kept wanting to find redeeming or lovable qualities about Wilson, as so many others apparently do, but at every turn I found a national embarrassment, allied with an extremely unsavory group of individuals, contravening the intentions of US law and policy. No congressman should be able to appropriate, wheedle, extort such power, or enact such consequential policies on their own whim, no matter how noble his intentions. Charlie Wilson is the embodiment of political seediness, and George Crile has captured it all in "Charlie Wilson's War".

I endorse this book wholeheartedly as a cautionary tale.

...and I say that as a middle-of-the-road Republican who has voted in every election since Nixon. This is a GREAT story, and a FANTASTIC read for anyone. The fact that it's "history" as well is just icing on the cake. Read the book, see the movie, LEARN something! ;)

Handing the Red Army - and Russia itself - a signal defeat (I use the term advisedly...the Red Army didn't "LOSE" it's war anymore than the US soldiers didn't "LOSE" their war in Viet Nam...politics and economics decided the outcome of both) at that point in time definitely made a significant contribution to the end of the Cold War. That's the "upside".

Having religious fanatics believe (because the logistics for arms and supplies were so carefully hidden/scrubbed) that they can 'prevail' against a major world power because 'their faith is strong' is the (continuing) downside.

Cap'n Bob

The events described in the book are so bizzare that, at first, I thought it was fiction. Then I was frightened. According to the book US foreign policy is ran by relatively low levels operatives, a congressman and a CIA agent who is not in good terms with his superiors. CIA comes through as rather inept without strong leadership. Indeed it was "Charlie Wilson's War" and nobody was minding the store, i.e. the true long term interests of the United States. By naive application of adage "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", these guys created a major threat for the country and nobody seems to be accountable.

My main criticism of the book is that it is far too detailed and, as result, too long. For example, we need not know all the specifics about the numerous girl friends of Mr. W. (but then, sex sells!) A book at a third of its size could convey the main issues equally well as the current detailed version.

George Crile's triumph is undiminished by the fact that he got really, really lucky. On one of the biggest stories of the late 20th century - the Soviet army's defeat at the hands of Afghan rebels backed by the CIA -- he found two crucial, colorful insiders who were willing to tell him everything and who were fascinating stories in themselves: Charlie Wilson, a boozehound, skirt-chasing congressman with an almost childlike devotion to backing the underdog and a zealot's hatred of Soviet communism; and his unlikely bureaucratic ally, Gust Avrakotos, a street-fighting CIA outsider who oversaw the agency's Afghan program during the crucial years in the 1980s. Crile deserves credit for nurturing these sources - and a background cast of hundreds - over more than a decade; for learning an astonishing number of government secrets; for managing to produce an coherent, fun-to-read manuscript from a bounty of fascinating stories that might have overwhelmed a lesser scribe; for managing to be fair and sympathetic to just about everyone involved; and for unveiling the whole thing just when it mattered again - after the 9/11 attacks forced America to rethink what had seemed to be our morally unambiguous support for the mujahedin in the `80s and `90s. This book is a treasure trove: details on the bureaucratic backbiting and caution that often make the CIA so ineffective; a peak into the lunatic world of fanatically anti-communist Texas millionaires; Wilson's hilarious antics, including his clandestine trips into the Muslim world in the company of a belly dancer and other beauties (one of whom decides it is appropriate to meet Afghan fundamentalist thug Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in a pink jumpsuit); a harrowing look at how political power works in the real world. (It is terrifying, for example, to learn that someone as small-minded and vain as U.S. Rep. Clarence "Doc'' Long had so much power over national security policy.)

A very detailed account of how and why this extraordinary event unfolded with great descriptions of the characters involved.

I found it annoying that in telling separate incidents, the author recounted much of the same background data that he had offered in a previous incident.

Overall, well worth reading.

Charlie Wilson's War was very insightful into the inner workings of the CIA, Congress, and the power sturcture within the U.S. House of Representatives and how much influence one Represenative can wield. If you want to know about how we helped to fight the old Soviet Union in Afghanistan read this book. Fascinating!!

Charlie Wilson's War provides the reader with a Washington insiders view of the complex power structure and activities of the various senate and house appropriations committees entrusted with the defense budget. The book also examines the CIA's technological transformation of the Afghan guerilla forces that would ultimately turn the tables in the mujahideen's favor against the Soviets. The most remarkable part of this book, however, regards the story of a secret alliance between a congressman and a CIA officer hatched in order to dodge bureaucratic interference using the most unconventional methods to escalate the Jihad in Afghanistan.

Crile does a fine job with character development throughout the book, providing an all-inclusive list of the players involved in Wilson's modern `great game.' To say the two main players in this book were uncharacteristic of a typical bureaucrat is a vast understatement. Charlie Wilson was a boozehound and a playboy who, in modern times, would have drawn the attention of the Starr Commission the day he stepped foot in Washington. By chance, Wilson would meet a key ally in Gust Avrakotos, a character equally as unique as Wilson. Avrakotos, a brutally honest man, has a very humorous habit of inserting sexual references and analogies into many of the statements in which he is quoted. Though they didn't possess the background and moral standards of the typical bureaucrat, they managed to make history by delivering Communism its final blow.

It is highly unlikely these 2 men could have accomplished this great feat in the modern political atmosphere. To overcome the assumption that checks and balances should have defeated Wilson, Crile provides a comprehensive presentation of the 1980s political setting. A landscape in which the powerful sway of lobbyists went unchecked, and congressmen considered it a right of passage to run up the taxpayers tab for personal expenses. Most importantly Crile provides an analysis of the fraternal structure of congressional power. As Crile makes clear, Charlie Wilson was able to gain immense power in appropriating funds to defense by earning memberships on the most important congressional "fraternities." Crile also adds to the political setting by factoring into the picture a CIA placed in the handcuffs of bureaucracy following the political fallout from the agency's controversial role in its support of the Contras, and later the Iran-Contra scandal. However, Crile argues convincingly that these ongoing scandals provided a "silver lining" because they distracted the press and other bureaucrats from criticizing a controversial, covert war.

The highlight of Charlie Wilson's War is Crile's Clancyesque portrayal of the overall strategy adopted by the CIA to transform mujahideen fighters into "technoguerillas." For this purpose, Crile introduces a Jack Ryan in Mike Vickers, a young CIA strategist who single-handedly changed the guerilla war by introducing a mix of weapons, and methodically overcame the challenges of coordinating supply lines, and logistics in a covert war.

The book concludes with a marvelous epilogue that correlates the United States troubled relationship with the Muslim world in the post 9/11 era, to Wilson's covert war. This book should be read just for this particular reason. Everyone who reads Charlie Wilson's War will discover a significant piece of the puzzle while having a hell of a good time along the journey.

Charlie Wilson's War provides the reader with a Washington insiders view of the complex power structure and activities of the various senate and house appropriations committees entrusted with the defense budget. The book also examines the CIA's technological transformation of the Afghan guerilla forces that would ultimately turn the tables in the mujahideen's favor. The most remarkable part of this book, however, regards the story of a secret alliance between a congressman and a CIA officer that was hatched in order to dodge bureaucratic interference using the most unconventional methods in order to escalate the Jihad in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union

Crile does a fine job with character development throughout the book, providing an all-inclusive list of the players involved in Wilson's modern `great game.' To say the two main players in this book were uncharacteristic of a typical bureaucrat is a vast understatement. Charlie Wilson was a boozehound and a playboy who, in modern times, would have drawn the attention of the Starr Commission the day he stepped foot in Washington. By chance, Wilson would meet a key ally in Gust Avrakotos, a character equally as unique as Wilson. Avrakotos brutal honesty nearly ruined his CIA career, and he has a very humorous habit of inserting sexual references and analogies into many of the statements in which he is quoted. Though they didn't possess the background and moral standards of the typical bureaucrat, they managed to make history by delivering Communism its final blow.

It is highly unlikely these 2 men could have accomplished this great feat in the modern political atmosphere. To overcome the assumption that checks and balances should have defeated Wilson, Crile provides a comprehensive presentation of the 1980s political setting. A landscape in which the powerful sway of lobbyists went unchecked, and congressmen considered it a right of passage to run up the taxpayers tab for personal expenses. Most importantly Crile provides an analysis of the fraternal structure of congressional power. As Crile makes clear, Charlie Wilson was able to gain immense power in appropriating funds to defense by earning memberships on the most important congressional "fraternities." Crile also adds to the political setting by factoring into the picture a CIA placed in the handcuffs of bureaucracy following the political fallout from the agency's controversial role in its support of the Contras, and later the Iran-Contra scandal. However, Crile argues convincingly that these ongoing scandals provided a "silver lining" because they distracted the press and other bureaucrats from criticizing a controversial, covert war.

The highlight of Charlie Wilson's War is Crile's Clancyesque portrayal of the overall strategy adopted by the CIA to transform mujahideen fighters into "technoguerillas." For this purpose, Crile introduces a Jack Ryan in Mike Vickers, a young CIA strategist who single-handedly changed the guerilla war by introducing a mix of weapons, and methodically overcame the challenges of coordinating supply lines, and logistics in a covert war.

The book concludes with a marvelous epilogue that correlates the United States troubled relationship with the Muslim world in the post 9/11 era, to Wilson's covert war. This book should be read just for this particular reason. Everyone who reads Charlie Wilson's War will discover a significant piece of the puzzle while having a hell of a good time along the journey.

I have to admit that I am still reading this book. I also have to admit that I am not a big fan of non-fiction or spy novels. My reading lists tend to be more along the fantasy and fiction genres. Having said that, I absolutely have to give this book monster kudos.

Although the writing is a bit on the dry side (mostly because the writer is actually a journalist) the material he covers and the inside information he got from both Charlie and Gust makes this one of the best views inside the secret workings of the CIA and government durring the late 80s and early 90s.

A few people I know have already read this book (one of the reasons I picked it up) and all they have is praise for it. One person says it's hard for him to keep in mind that this is a true story. IT's hard for him to realize that one man could and did all that.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, how we got where we are today with the Islamic fundementalists, or any of the back room goings on in politics.

In his fascinating account of Congressman Charlie Wilson, George Crile evokes the images of a Stan Kubrick character: Slim Pickens as Major T. J. "King" Kong riding the bomb (and not only because of the Stetson he is wearing). You think that's far fetched? OK, Charlie is a most loveable character with his energy, dedication, propensity to fun and pleasure, and his weaknesses. Not like the unpleasant Dr. Strangelove. Yet the parallel is striking: a man on a mission to fight the evil empire, whatever the consequences.

The book is a most fascinating read with many insights in to how politics seem to work on the "Hill". It is giving more than one chilling cause for the rest of the world to seriously worry about how the "only remaining superpower" makes decisions that result in loss of lives and limbs and that interfere with sovereign nations.

Yet, the book has some serious flaws. It is a very one-sided account of people and events. The characters of the four main protagonists, Wilson, Avrakotos, Herring, Vickers are very well developed. But the book lacks depth (and misses an opportunity, I find) when it comes to describing their "counterparts" (arms traders, Pakistani leaders, Arab and Israeli officials). They are very stereotypical and often described in a manner that would behoove a second rate Hollywood star magazine.

Also disappointing is the portrayal of the Mujahideen. They are described as the "beaux sauvages" just as Wilson seems to have perceived them. Other than a simplistic "such are radical Muslims" it provides no explanation how these freedom fighters could become such fierce enemies of the US and the West in the last chapter of the book that attempts to analyze the unintended consequences of Wilson's war.

The story completely lacks any perspective of the other side. The Soviet soldiers are just there to be killed, by treading like morons into traps of the freedom fighters or appearing before the guns provided through the CIA and Wilson's appropriations. Implausible that Soviet intelligence would not have had some knowledge of CIA activities, implausible that they would not have had developed strategies and alternatives, other than scorching villages in a My Lai manner, implausible that they would not have pursued "behind-the-scene" diplomatic activities. This lack of a multi-dimensional perspective actually reduces the credibility of the main characters and their accomplishments.

The most puzzling question I have after finishing the book is not even raised: How is it possible that Wilson who the Afghan tribes' men praised as the savior of their cause, could not play a role in "cashing in the chits" and ask them to help finding Osama bin Laden etc., how is it possible that these former friends cannot be co-opted in the fight against a terrorism that Afghans had never pursued outside their country?

Lastly, in his chapter on "Source Notes", George Crile reveals - honestly - that some accounts are based on personal memories of the people he is writing about, there seems not to have been much fact checking on some parts of the story. Obviously, it is not a historical account, just a journalistic one. It should be read as that.

The movie is an intelligent screen adaptation of the book, but I wonder how Kubrick would have done it.

This is really one of the best books written about America's involvement in the war in AFGAHNISTAN against the Russians supplying them arms against the Russians and ultimately those same arms being turned against us.

Fascinating.
This book contains all kinds of information that I did not know - about the Vietnam War, the ongoing Afghan offensive, Congress, the CIA - rabid lovers and haters of all kinds.
I'm not a very political person, and generally avoid this kind of book (the nightly news is plenty!) but, this is a really human story about real people and their passion for a place and a people.
Charlie Wilson is an amazing person, whose center of gravity was changed forever by his trip to the refugee camps in Pakistan. This scene of so much human suffering made him want to punish the Russians...and he simply went back to Washington to devote his congressional life to finding ways to defeat the Soviet army.
What a guy!
And what characters - the book is full of simply amazing weird, strange, wonderful, stupid and ridiculous characters in the government, the CIA, the armies and enemies. It's rich. Really rich.
Overall a fun, enlightening book for anyone, whether you're interested in foreign affairs, warfare or not. Reads like a novel - only more unbelievable.

The movie prompted me to read the book. It's more entertaining than the movie, and 10 times as frightening. I like the book's Charlie Wilson. He comes off as the guy you'd most like to party with. Someone who you want on your side in a pinch. Similar to LBJ in that he knew how to twist arms and use the power he acquired in Washington. He acquired that power using personal contacts, charm, and an intelligence hidden behind an alcoholic facade. People who failed to take him seriously later regretted their misjudgement. What's frightening is the story of how things work in Washington, how the CIA operates and how things...serious things...really get accomplished in the highest levels of government, beyond public scrutiny or official oversight. Mr. Crile's portrayal of Charlie Wilson leaves no doubt that Mr. Wilson is a true patriot. Someone who dearly and passionately loves his country. The story of how money and power are both acquired and used, however, even by the likable patriotic and passionate Wilson is what is truly frightening. It brings into question the checks and balances in our democratic system. Yes, the outcome was mostly positive for the country in Charlie Wilson's War. But....

This is a great book. It almost reads like a James Bond novel. Even though the pacifist in me doesn't want to glorify war or war mongers, the story is one that needs to be told. It also serves as a great example of how America seems to create monsters that we have to fight later. Many of the same "freedom fighters" of Charlie's War are the Taliban and Al Queda that we are fighting today. That fact makes this book a must read for anyone who thinks they want to work in foreign policy in the future. Perhaps it should be required reading in high schools across the country.

If you enjoyed the movie - you will like the book. The book provides much more character development and in-depth insight to the political aspects both at home and globally. It's a very eye opening & frightening look at how one man with an agenda can manipulate our govenment.

This book should have been a week long miniseries on cable not a 90 minute movie. A great book for anyone interested in the real workings of Congress the CIA or the Washington establishment.

The book grabbed me at page one and I find it hard to close from my bedtime reading. One must sleep however, and there is always the advantage of looking forward to my next read.

I am not a literary critic as many here seem to be but I am hard to please. I have, on occassion, found myself 2/3rd of the way through some highly rated book only to decide I just don't want to pick it up again. I do not care what you have to say about anything if you haven't the ability to make it interesting. And my life exeperiences are such that I am no simpleton with regard to this criteria.

Mr. Crile has made this story interesting. Of course his is the good fortune of choosing colorful characters (to say the least) to write about but a lesser writer, I feel sure, could destroy even that advantage. Good job Mr. Crile and thank you for writing this story.

This book is a real page turner. It is well written and seductive. I couldn't put it down until I finished the entire book. What a story!

Charlie Wilson's War had all the hall marks of truth, yet it's so extraordinary I can't stop wondering just how much is really true. I'll keep scanning the reviews for confirmation.

The movie was just a teaser. If you liked the movie, you have to read the book. Much more detail and exploration of the character of both Charlie Wilson and his CIA sidekick. An unbelievable story; really!

I saw the movie and decided I wanted to read more about Willison. The book was very good. It is amazing how much power one man can have in our government and nobody in the USA really knew what was going on. I didn't really like the way the author would start a subject then jump to somthing that was supposed to be related to the subject.

I would recommend the book for anyone who is interested in covert activities of government agencies It reveals the history of what was actually going on during that era.

Charlie Wilsons War is a well written story about the war in Afghanistan that few people really appreciate. Even someone like me, who had worked in Afghanistan during the early 1970s and followed its politics since, did not appreciate the role of Charlie Wilson in the Afghan conflict and the breakup of the Soviet Union. The book does an excellent job of detailing the ins and outs of the financing of the war effort in Afghanistan through third party means including USAID's cross border program and Pakistani assistance. Colorful writing but backed up with detail in a wonderful story of how committed people can make a difference. The positive and important role of Pakistan in this effort, especially President Zia, is important in understanding the outcome. This is a must read for people interested in the Afghanistan of today because it provides a context to understand its challenges.

This book is excellent. It is a real page turner. The book is better than the movie. The book has more to it than what comes out in the movie. A reader will learn quite a bit about the CIA in general through this story. It also shows the relationship between Congress and the special agencies. I found the book exciting. Secrets previously unknown are told in this book. You learn how the CIA was funneling money to the Afghans. You also learn how they moved arms to them. The book also talks about the CIA did special things to train the rebels to make them even more dangerous to the Russians. Also the book has facts that shapes the story in exciting detail. For example the Russians were losing hundreds of aircraft to stingers.

The events detailed in the book have special significance for us today. A reader can see how the CIA did things that lead to Al Quada.Those events directly lead to the current trouble with Islamic fundamentalism.

This was a book about the workings of our government that read like a spy novel. The characters were natives of my state that I either knew or had heard of so that added to the interest. I also saw the movie which is true to the book. Both are enjoyable.

One way to look at "Charlie Wilson's War" is that it reads like a confusing spy novel. The story spans two decades and has a cast of so many under-developed people moving in and out of the plot that the reading becomes tedious and boring. And yet, the story of Wilson's maniacal commitment to Afghanistan is true, which makes you step back, focus on the big picture and realize that international diplomacy conducted through numerous international channels, spy networks, and appropriations' committees in Washington is messy work at best, and dangerously illegal at worst.

You have to applaud the tenacity of someone as flawed and tenacious as Wilson. But the story also makes you wonder how taxpayer money is being spent in the country's interests. While CWW highlights the significance of the result, it also clearly portrays the flaws in the legislative/diplomatic/appropriations process. It's not a great lesson in civics.

The worst part of this fascinating story, however, is how little governments seem to learn from history. Philosopher Georges Santayana once wrote for all eternity that, "Those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat its failures." Amen. For example, the Russians, having supported North Vietnam in bringing America to its knees, repeat the USA's arrogance in attempting to overpower Afghanistan, only to suffer similar casualties (and the downfall of the Soviet Republic) when the Americans pour billions into the Afghanistan resistance to avenge Vietnam. And yet, the USA, barely 20 years later, finds itself in Iraq again facing a faceless enemy armed and supported by Russia and others. Don't we already know how this is going to turn out?

Worse, while the short term result in Afghanistan was great, the unintended consequences of the long trm result have been calamitous. The US received little credit from the religious sect in Afghanistan for its financial support and enablement of the freedom fighters to defeat their Russian occupiers. Instead, "Allah" is credited with scourging the Red Army out, and the US is seen as the new evil empire - equally deposable as the Russians. So, what did we get? Thanks to all our foreign aid, we successfully converted Afghanistan from a sticks and stones society to a sophisticated techno-guerilla threat, and breeding ground of Itrained slam extremists like Osama bin Laden.

Even as the Soviet Army rolled out of Afghanistan, the Afghan tribes used their CIA donated weapons and munitions to resume their centuries old practice of attacking one another in their eternal quest to protect and control their territory (however uninhabitable), and to exact revenge on one another. Sounds familiar. Santayana would not be proud.

"Charlie Wilson's War" is a fascinating read, but a frustrating story. It is as information packed as "The World Is Flat" and just as frightful.