While it is a long and complex exploration of the subject, this book is the gold standard by which other books about US involvement in Afghanistan may be measured.

I have to consider this book a CIA whitewash. The author, who was an editor at the Washington Post, which more or less tells me he's a system controlled propagandist, got access to "classified documents" and interviews with CIA agents that were on the ground in Afghanistan to the high level guys. He just takes peoples, who should be some of the last on the planet you should trust, word for it. He passes the buck, glosses over or ignores the key facts about Afghanistan going back to the Carter administration. Sorry but I have a much more conspiratorial view of what went on with the Mujhaden, the Taliban and Bin Laden/CIAlqueda than what is presented in this book. I just don't trust this book. The upside of Ghost Wars is it is well written and interesting, almost reading like a novel at times. Also even though this is a whitewash some of what makes it into this book would shock the average American who gets their info from controlled news sound bites so its not completely useless as long as you know your not getting the full story when you read this.

I have to consider this book a CIA whitewash. The author, who was an editor at the Washington Post, which more or less tells me he's a system controlled propagandist, got access to "classified documents" and interviews with CIA agents that were on the ground in Afghanistan to the high level guys. He just takes peoples, who should be some of the last on the planet you should trust, word for it. He passes the buck, glosses over or ignores the key facts about Afghanistan going back to the Carter administration. Sorry but I have a much more conspiratorial view of what went on with the Mujhaden, the Taliban and Bin Laden/CIAlqueda than what is presented in this book. I just don't trust this book. The upside of Ghost Wars is it is well written and interesting, almost reading like a novel at times. Also even though this is a whitewash some of what makes it into this book would shock the average American who gets their info from controlled news sound bites.

After 171 reviews, there's not much I can add to what's already been said, but I enjoyed this book so much that I did want to share a few comments. First of all, the style of writing is very engaging - sort of like reading one of Tom Clancy's early novels. Second of all, I did not detect any bias (something I'm always senstivie to when I read history). Third of all, Mr. Coll does an excellent job of helping the reader to keep track of the large cast of characters. So, if you enjoy reading spy thriller novels (like those written by Frederick Forsyth), you might enjoy reading about the REAL THING from an author who can write history that is a real page-turner. Good stuff!

Ghost Wars is a good book. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in the CIA.

This book is big, but it's worth it. By covering such a wide range of time, people and countries the author is able to tie together so much information to give you a full picture of how past actions led to today's current situation.

Most of the reviews say what I was thinking. I needed to check something today, so I pulled the book from my home Library and looked up Gorbachev. Going to the pages where he was to be found, I found the information I wanted to check. Took only 5 minutes. The book is detailed and full of information. Sometimes one or two sentences contain so much information, you grasp the connection between what you have read from other sources. To hold this 700 page book in you brain is just too
much to expect. You surely get insight in to the players in this theater. My own personal thoughts are not to be expressed as it would do no good anyway. Buy the book and read it, piece wise, so as not to be overwhelmed by the material. Keep it as a text book or reference source.

This is an outstanding book detailing the US involvement with Afghanistan. Read in combination with Ahmed Rahsid's "Descent into Chaos" (See review) , it forms a powerful duo. The main strengths of Coll's book is its thoroughness from the American point of view. He has researched well the personalities involved within the US Government, particularly the CIA, and gives a coherent picture of how decisions were arrived. If one is a student of CIA history, this is a good starting point. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the story is a bit one-sided. It is a balanced book in its viewpoint but because the vast majority of the sources are English-based, I felt like I was reading only part of the story, though a very good one. Having read this book right after finishing "Descent into Chaos", the difference in the depth of knowledge and details were quite obvious to me. It is also quite obvious that the book was written in a hurry as the cadence of the story line varies tremendously. Once again compared to other books like Robert Fisk's "The Great War for Civilization", I didn't get a sense of "profound" understanding of the subject matter. Nonetheless, it is still excellent reading.

This should be read by anyone who wants to understand some of the problems in the middle east (much of it caused by the US).

Worthy of a purchase for sure.

This is an establishment version of what ultimately led to 9/11. You can find out more about the causes of 9/11 from going to the web and looking up original sources. For one thing the book tries to gloss over that Palestine, the utter ugly inhumanness of the Israelis toward the Palestinians, is what drew bin Laden to Azzam (a Palestinian and founder of Hamas) his mentor. The author treats that formative association hazily, giving it not a fraction of the details he devotes to expounding on how Clinton fooling around with Monica Lewinsky deverted his attention and cost him credibility in dealing with the threat from Al Qaeda. In other words, he substitutes barely relevant circumstance for critically dealing with the fact that our support for Israel in all it's criminal features motivated 9/11 as payback. cf [...]. for a quick primer on this. Much detail about the idiosyncrasies and personalities of american intelligence people, their careers, machinations inside Pakistani and Saudi intelligence, and Massoud in Afghanistan. Really trivial in meaning for in how we ended up being attacked. Who cares that Pervez Mushareff's daughter married a filmmaker? You'll get lot's of that kind of thing. I'm sorry but a worthless book. I gave up on page 421.

The CIA and the Pakistan Intelligence service created the Taliban with the financial support of the Saudis. They were trained and funded by these players to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan. The Taliban were an uneducated bunch of patriots who goal was to drive out the godless communists from their country. It is extremely interesting reading especially in light of where the US goes from here in rebuilding Afghanistan.

Great book! A well researched, unbiased view of the CIA's relationship with Afghanistan's many personality's over the latter part of the twentieth century.

This is a thoroughly researched and very well written treatise on modern Afghanistan. Anyone interested in understanding the political, military and religious events leading up to the environment in which the Unites States is now fighting will find this a uniquely valuable asset.

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

This Book is ones best tutorial to understand why we are where we are in Afghanistan and some of the middle east. It takes the reader back to budget short cuts that made Clinton one of the most fiscal Presidents in the last 50 years but yet explains that counter intelligence is not free. One may wish to follow this book up with George Tenet's autobiography to see how someone on the inside responded to very poor intelligence at the time. The reader will also learn the Soviet Union tired to tell us we didn't want any part of the Taliban, but we wouldn't listen and in fact we are still being shot at from weapons we gave the Taliban during Charlie Wilson's war.Don't blame him by the way, there is plenty of blame to go around. But if one grows up as I did believing everything our government tells you, this may not be for you.

This book explains all the little nuance details of the history of Afghanistan that led up to 9/11. The book does a good job of spelling it all out, but the whole history of the country is so screwed up that I still don't understand it. It is a great read though.

This is the book that was given Obama to bring him up to speed on the subject - you can't put it down - well written -

Anyone who wants a better understanding of what's going on in Afghanistan today needs to read this book.

This is probably the best non-fiction book I've ever read.
When the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan, I was 15 years old. 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.
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. It is not one of your typical dry history books, but more or less comparable to an adventure novel.
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 ... but in lieu of a better word ...) fashion.
Probably the best non-fiction book I've ever read.

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. It's an excellent primer on Bin Laden, the area politics, U.S. and Pakistan relations, the Taliban, Ahmed Shah Massoud and, to a lesser extent, Karzai's rise.

The book paints a complex picture. America became involved in Afghanistan in order to stall the Russian advance into the oil rich region. Brzezinski, no friend of the Soviets, persuaded Carter to throw support (albeit non lethal and limited) behind the mujaheddin efforts against the Soviets. From then on, as other US politicians became involved (notably congressman Charlie Wilson), the U.S. 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. aims and therein, according to Coll, lies the problem.

There has been some vitriol tossed at Coll by conservative pundits who claim that he's a Clinton apologist. If they believe this then they haven't read the book. 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). 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. 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. 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. Clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has helped fuel the rise in terrorism and both sides deserve to bear the burden.

Hard book to read. Author uses a lot of big words that were unnecessary, making the reading go really slow. Not like other books of it's kind, where you can't put them down because they are so interesting. Husband actually went and bought another book just after getting this one, as it was not holding interest. Would rate it just ok.

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 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. 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. 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. 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. Ghost Wars offers an explanation as to how U.S. 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. 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 Eastern 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. 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 declared against America and her allies and one audacious plot to strike our country. Bin Laden patiently and painstakingly builds his terrorist organization first in Sudan, then in Eastern Afghanistan while the Afghan civil war rages on. 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 his camp. At one point, the U.S. 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 invasion, largely through clandestine operations, were at times counterproductive. One can easily argue that those efforts indirectly resulted in more, rather than less, instability in Central and South Asia, an already unstable and fractious part of the world.

In this ambitious work, Coll captures in precise detail the events that lead 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. For that alone, Ghost Wars is worth reading. Through thorough and meticulous research (there are some 50+ pages of endnotes), the author sets an almost impossible standard in reporting. Most of the interviews Coll relies on in the book he apparently conducts himself. 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. 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. One is left to wonder how these immensely 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 was the most satisfying element of Ghost Wars. It is what truly makes the book worthwhile reading. Highly recommend for that alone!

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.

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 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. 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. 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. Though he would demonstrate limited ability as a field commander, Osama bin Laden would arouse bloodlust in these guerrilla fighters that would result in the most lethal act of terrorism in modern history. Ghost Wars provides an explanation as to how U.S. 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. 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 Eastern 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. 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 declared against America and her allies and one audacious plot to strike our country. Bin Laden patiently and painstakingly builds his terrorist organization first in the Sudan, then in Eastern Afghanistan while the Afghan civil war rages on. On more than one occasion the spy agencies (and their governments) discount al-Qaeda as a serious threat and eventually pass on opportunities to strike his camp. At one point, the U.S. Tomahawk Cruise Missile attack simply misses.

It becomes obvious from reading Ghost Wars that American efforts to influence events in Afghanistan subsequent to the 1980s Soviet invasion, largely through covert operations, were at times counterproductive. One can easily argue that those efforts indirectly resulted in more, rather than less, instability in Central and South Asia, an already unstable and fractious part of the world.

In this ambitious work, Coll captures in precise detail the events that lead 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. For that alone, Ghost Wars is worth picking up. Through thorough and meticulous research (there are some 50+ pages of endnotes), the author sets an almost impossible standard in reporting. Most of the interviews Coll relies on in the book he apparently conducts himself. And in an effort to ensure accuracy, he repeatedly checks facts against recently declassified documents, updating newer printings 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. 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. One is left to wonder how these immensely 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 was the most satisfying element of Ghost Wars. It is what truly makes the book worthwhile reading. Highly recommend for that alone!

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.

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 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. 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. 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. Though he would demonstrate limited ability as a field commander, Osama bin Laden would arouse bloodlust in these guerrilla fighters that would result in the most lethal act of terrorism in modern history. Ghost Wars provides an explanation as to how U.S. 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 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. 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 Eastern part of the country!

An unintended consequence of these actions - as America becomes distracted - is the emergence of extreme radical Islam in the form of al-Qaeda. 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 waged against America and her allies and one audacious plot to strike our country. Bin Laden patiently and painstakingly builds his terrorist organization first in the Sudan, then in Eastern Afghanistan while the Afghan civil war rages on.

It becomes obvious from reading Ghost Wars that American efforts to influence events in Afghanistan subsequent to the 1980s Soviet invasion, largely through covert operations, were at times counterproductive. One can easily argue that those efforts indirectly resulted in even more, rather than less, instability in Central and South Asia, an already unstable and fractious part of the world.

In this ambitious work, Coll captures in precise detail the events that lead 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. For that alone, Ghost Wars is worth picking up. Through thorough and meticulous research (there are some 50+ pages of endnotes), the author sets an almost impossible standard in reporting. Most of the interviews Coll relies on in the book he apparently conducts himself. And in an effort to ensure accuracy, he repeatedly checks facts against recently declassified documents, updating newer printings 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. 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. One is left to wonder how these talented, highly capable government officials missed so many clues in the run-up to 9/11.

The detailed character development was the most satisfying element of Ghost Wars for me and what truly makes the book worthwhile reading.

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.

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 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. government. 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. Part one deals with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and how the U.S. & Pakistan helped the Afghans defeat the Red Army. Part two covers the chaos surrounding the Soviet withdrawal and how this (perhaps more than U.S. 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. 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. Coll does more to help illuminate Massoud's plight to hold Afghanistan together than perhaps anything else in Ghost Wars. 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. The consequences of that policy are perfectly clear and it is nothing short of shocking that the U.S. 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. 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. It's shocking really that events in these two countries since 9/11 haven't been much worse than what they have. Every book I read on the subject makes it seem like something bad is on the way. 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.

Afghanistan, that poor country. From one oppressive rule to another. It's still mired in poverty and suffering even after we went there and liberated them from the Taliban. This is a great book. I lived in the Mideast and I can relate to what he is saying. The Mideast is so mystical in our Western eyes. The partnership with the USA literally let the dictators there do as they please. It's been a honeymoon for too long. Time for change and accountability. We need to understand the Middle East more thoroughly. In this global village and economy we do not live in an island anymore. One more book that I recommend for better understanding is THE LAST PHARAOH by Professor Aladdin Elaasar. It demystifies Egypt's Ancient and Modern history and makes a lot of sense of the Mideast. A great combination.

The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Volatile Mid East

This book has numerous footnotes which are presented by chapter at the end of the book. It's unfortunate that on the Kindle edition the footnotes are not "hot" - there is no link from the chapter text to the footnote text.

So if you want to refer to a footnote, it's actually *harder* on the Kindle than it would be in hardcopy. That's a missed opportunity to take advantage of the Kindle platform and a bit of a disappointment for folks like me who actually do read footnotes.

Steve Coll's GHOST WARS isn't a novel so there are no neat wrap-ups or happy endings to the complex situation that is Afghanistan. Instead, this is brilliant journalism with a real world action/adventure/thriller construct. It is the kind of book that takes you well beyond the headlines into the real meat of the story where the sidebars into the recent history of the region expose slabs that are, at times,rancid.
It's easy to see why Coll won the Pulitzer Prize with his in-depth and scholarly research that will have you liking some of the major players, hating others or scratching your head and wondering just what in the hell were some of the so-called experts thinking.
Read it just so you'll have a better working idea of what's going on in the region or perhaps what's going right and wrong with our politics and for the war you thought you knew.
There are no 'Ghosts' to be found but a lot of hauntings as Coll brings into focus a series of turns and events in a troubled part of the world where tribal histories and passions have produced and fueled some very determined fighters.
This book should be made mandatory reading for any and every member of Congress and those in the Intelligence field.

I absolutely love the book, my son told me about it, and it really opened my eyes to how absolutely ridiculous our government leaders can be sometimes. To the point of putting people in positions, and then abandoning a cause because it no longer interests them. Great book.
Good condition. Would highly reccommend it for every American.

I don't want to take away from Steve Coll's amazing scholarship and knowledge, but I found this book entirely unreadable. I've stopped and started it about 20 times. It's just so dry! Too many names, not enough narrative drive, and just sloooow and boring. I tried! I really did! I respect the writer and he is obviously a great journalist and historian, but I don't think writing is his strong suit. JMO.

Also, I found it was way too descriptive and "objective," just saying over and over what happened and giving us all these details and facts without much analysis or overall scope or theme. Maybe the style is just not to my taste, I admit.

I enjoyed The Looming Towers so much more. Now that is a fascinating, readable, incredibly engrossing book. I've read it two times!

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an average life expectancy of 44 years, and an adult literacy rate of 28% (43% male, 12.6% female), and little harvested natural resources to speak of (CIA World Factbook, Jan. 22, 2009). Were it not for her strategic geopolitical importance, Afghanistan's fate may not have been much different from that of dozens of other impoverished countries most people have never heard of. Despite these shortcomings, no foreign power(s) has been successful in creating long term stability there by intervention and establishment of a friendly government. Afghanistan marches to its own tune. The "Ghost" in "Ghost Wars" refers to the nickname the Marxist Soviets gave their illusive rebel enemies; the mujahedeen.

At the conclusion of the successful effort by the Afghan mujahedeen to expel the Soviets in 1989, the U.S. promptly adopted a hands-off approach in internal Afghani politics. This lackadaisical U.S. policy continued under the Bush Sr. and two Clinton terms in the Whitehouse, and was the central theme in Mr. Coll's critique in "Ghost Wars". The absence of strong and direct U.S. influence in Afghanistan left the Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI, with free reign to call the shots on which factions received its financial and military support. Quite Expectedly, Pakistan acted purely in her self interest and to the detriment of the United States' by backing radical Islamists to act as a buffer to Soviet aggression from the North, and fight their proxy war in the Indian controlled Kashmir. Radical Islamists put up a valiant resistance and fought harder than moderates.

Before we can critique the lack of effective U.S. support of any particular faction in Afghanistan, we'd have to consider the following:

1. Was this U.S. hands-off approach borne out of meticulous planning or indifference?

2. Would a proactive and unilateral approach have benefited U.S. interests? I mentioned unilateral because the other two key players in the region were Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, both with agendas at odds with U.S. interests. In the Saudis' case, it wasn't until later when the fallout with Bin Laden partly aligned their interest with ours.

There wasn't much contemplation of post Soviet era U.S. policy towards Afghanistan. The U.S. was satisfied with its effort in turning Afghanistan into the Soviets' Vietnam, and with the fall of communism soon to follow, the Senior Bush administration perceived only state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran as the most serious threat to its national security. Mr. Clinton grappled with domestic issues during the early 1990s' recession, and coupled with his distrust of the CIA, his Afghan foreign policy didn't extend far beyond ambivalence. During this period, there were no viable players in Afghanistan the U.S. could support, and the CIA understandably refrained from picking sides for fear of fanning the flames of another civil war with countless innocent casualties. Afghanistan was a disjointed country of attack dogs. A hands-off approach by the U.S. cannot be perceived as an ill-conceived policy at a time when Bin Laden was leading a peaceful life in Sudan.

It wasn't until 1996, when the Taliban surprised everyone with their swift ascension to power and control of much of the country, and Bin Laden's expulsion from Sudan and subsequent migration to Afghanistan, when the Clinton administration should have kicked its Afghan policy into high gear. From this moment on, the effort to capture or kill Bin Laden by the U.S. can be considered a colossal failure judging by the death and destruction Bin Laden's soldiers inflicted on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

Mr. Coll, a two time Pulitzer prize winner (one Pulitzer for this book), masterfully covered the important events and players in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion through the rise of Taliban and Bin Laden. My only critique of the book has to do with the abrupt and premature ending of the coverage of the Unocal gas pipeline story.

I could not put this book down even though we all know the ending.

Now that I am working in Afghanistan I understand the role Afghanistan has played for well over 30 years now to the importance of American Security. I can also see clearly how it continues to be a pivitol point of the future of American security.

Years of typical American inconsistant foriegn policies from one administration to the next has resulted in confusing and inconsistant focus on this region which resulted in the 9/11 dibacle which was totally preventable if the Clinton administration had placed priority on it from 1994 to 1996.

We are no further along today than we were 30 years ago. From what it looks like, we will be no further along tomorrow if the new administration does not take this issue as top priority to clearly outline, define and resolve its foriegn policy in Afghanistan NOW.

America also needs to address its dependance on foriegn oil which has only fed this terrorist factory from countires like Saudi Arabia and will continue to feed it if alternative fuel sources are not developed NOW as well.

Well written and interesting review of CIA activities regarding Afghanistan policy. A bit eye-opening to understand how much we have been involved in trying to move world events in the direction we wanted yet how often those efforts seemed to blow up in our face. Leaving aside whether we should or shouldn't meddle in other countries affairs, it seems that when we do, often as not, we end up hurting our own interests in the long run. At least this was the impression I got after reading the book. Whether that is a fair assessment or not will take more reading on my part.

Also interesting to read how so many of the presidents had such low opinion of the CIA and seemed to mistrust their reports and even their motivations. The book does a good job of looking at the relationship of the president to the CIA director and showing how important it is for the CIA that the president and the director have a good working relationship. As that relationship goes, so goes the fortunes of the CIA it seems.

For someone not well versed in CIA activities or how the CIA works administratively, this book provided useful insights. The writing style made it very readable as well. Worth a read.

Mr. Coll's book is both insightful and intelligent. Although the book is lacking in personal narrative, Mr. Coll thoughtfully and thoroughly examines the personalities of the many operatives involved in business with the CIA. He also describes the functions and elaborate dealings of the CIA with many other nations and governments. Especially informative are his observations on the ISI, Pakistan's intelligent agency. Ghost Wars An excellent book lacking only in the presence of a strong personality to guide the reader through the mountain of details.

An absolutely amazing book, have read through it twice already and each time I get more and more interested in the story

A clear understanding of the U. S. presence in Afghanistan over the last thirty+ years has to be the starting point for us and others to judge our future actions there. The incoming Obama administration is proposing more troops. That call needs to be scrutinized with recent history in mind. How are we perceived? What have we done in the past? What was our involvement with the different parties, the Taliban, the Northern Alliance, the Pashtuns in the south, and the Tajik minority in the north, with Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia, just to name a few. All these forces and more are part of the narrative that Coll weaves in this book. The amount of research needed just to identify all the actors is humbling. That he also succeeds in making it very understandable with a clear readable narrative makes it exceptional.

I almost didn't read this book. I mean, it's pretty big. And it didn't really look like it would be the "storytelling" kind of history I had previously been reading. But I went for it. And it was actually quite easy to read the 500-plus pages that chronicle the relationship between the US, Pakistan, and Afghanistan up through September 10, 2001. Despite the fairly detailed information in this book, it was a bit of a page-turner.

For anyone interested in putting the US-Pakistan relationship (especially regarding terrorism) into context, this book is a must-read. As it is for understanding how Afghanistan got to the state it was in seven years ago. Coll explains how the CIA dealt (or failed to deal) with the mujaheddin, how the Pakistani intelligence colluded with terrorist groups and the Taliban, using US money to run operations that ran counter to US interests, and how Pakistani heads of state (such as the belated Benazir Bhutto) telling bald-faced lies to US officials. It's certainly an ambitious read, but if you're interested in the topic, it won't be a hard one.

A long well written book on that shows how after the failure of Soviet invasion, Afghanistan descended into a battlefield where countries and movements with different ideologies clashed with their respective agendas.

Although after reading this book, I am not so sure as the writer suggests that a more pro-active US policy have made that much difference in the country unless it was willing to send in ground forces.

To me this was one of the best account of dirty secrets of the intelligence agencies. The coordination and communication between CIA and Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI and the routine betrayal by ISI and misuse of funds. This book also clearly indicates how CIA bet on the wrong horse by backing ISI instead of Northern Front or in particular Ahmed Shah Masood. The book also throws a light about the red tape and American bureaucracy our intelligence community has to deal with and we care more about the rights of those who would not even blink an eye before destroying us. All in all a must read book for anyone who cares about the world's most dangerous region Afghanistan - Peshawar border.

I am back in Afghanistan for my third tour. If you want to really understand what happened between the Russian invasion and 9-11-2001,
this is really all you need to read. It explains CIA ops, the Mujahadeen,
the rise of the Taliban vice the Paki ISI, the civil wars, everything.

It is a true story told in such compelling fashion that you think you are reading a fiction novel. After the first 10 pages, it's hard to put down.

I bought a dozen copies to provide my people so they would understand why we are here now.

Very well written and keeps your attention. Very detailed and fact based. The author is as unbiased as they come. I came into this book embarassingly ignorant about international politics, especially the events leading up to September 11, 2001. I feel thankful toward the author for putting together such complex information in a straight forward, but captivating way - a way that lets even the most unaware reader begin to understand the whirlwind of money, politics, fanaticism, and international counter-interests that intersect to create the horrors of tomorrow. I was amazed at how much the US government played a hand in fostering Taliban and al Qaeda. A hand full of tunnel vissioned, post cold-war mongering CIA agents and senators operating with a unconscionable amount power financed, encouraged, and then ignored the mounting threats from the jihadists.

Don't let the size of this book scare you - it is accurate and full of great information! I know some people who were close to the information and say it is very accurate -

Enjoy -

Jan Simpson

I recommend this book, in spite of its flaws, because it is a very useful history of CIA involvement in Afghanistan, from the end of the Carter administration until the day before the 9/11 attacks.

The book is divided into three parts, focusing on the Soviet occupation and mujahideen resistance, the Afghan Civil War, and the Taliban era, respectively. Coll commands a truly impressive list of source-interviews, and has clearly devoted considerable research time and effort. I suspect that few authors indeed could have had access to all of his information. If you can read the book through the end, it will be worth it.

But there are a few problems, which are significant:

1. The narrative tends to jump around in terms of geography and chronology. To some extent this is a necessary evil; in order to understand Afghanistan over the past three decades, one must understand Soviet/Russian, Iranian, Pakistani, Saudi and American involvement, because modern Afghanistan did not happen in a nutshell. And in order to understand those nations' involvement, one must know something of their history, and the personalities which drove decision-making. Unfortunately, Coll does not quite manage to pull everything together in a clear, readable narrative. The book can be slow-going, especially if you are new to the Middle East and Central Asia.

2. Coll very obviously doesn't care much for Republicans, and goes to some lengths to defend Democrats (without completely absolving them of responsibility). This is odd, given that the vast majority of the post-Soviet/pre-9/11 era happened under Democrat watch. Perhaps this is due in part to Coll's access to sources: it appears from his endnotes that he relies heavily on Clinton's administration for information, which is precisely the group with the greatest incentive to white-wash their actions. If most of the people you talk to are liberals, you will end up with a liberal version of history -- it's understandable, but regrettable.

3. The book has extremely little focus on Iran, and few details on the 9/11 hijackings. If you are interested in information on these aspects of Afghanistan, look elsewhere.

Again, I do recommend the book, which is valuable for its strengths in spite of its weaknesses. But the reader is advised caution, and might do well to start with a general history of Afghanistan or the Middle East before picking up Coll's book.

Though Osama Bin Laden became a household name after the 9-11 attacks, few people know the background of Afghanistan and the mujahideen fighters that birthed these radical groups. This book gives a well-researched, in-depth look into the interplay of the Cold War, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the radical groups that have made Afghanistan such a key region in the modern world. Though not a quick read, I would recommend it to anyone looking for more information beyond the 10-second sound bytes and action movie blather that our politicians give us when talking about the Middle East.

The writing is succinct and clear, no small accomplishment considering the breadth of this book and the many players. Keeping track of the many American, Persian, Arabic, etc names may feel daunting at first, but Coll consistently reminds the reader who these people are, so you won't feel lost. This is a big help if you're only able to read for pleasure intermittently like myself. The endnotes are evidence of the incredible amount of research that went into this book. Curious about some of the facts, I researched some of these endnotes, and they all checked out.

All in all, an excellent book that does more than try to pass the blame to one administration or department. Read it in conjunction with the books recommended by other reviewers to get a fuller picture of the Middle East.

It was a pleasure reading this very well written and researched book. As an Indian, I grew up reading about the defeat of Russians in newspapers. The subsequent battle for Afghanistan between the communist government and the mujahedin entered my consciousness through snatches of news on the radio. So, it was great to get the stories and personalities around people like Masooud.

However, as I reached to the end of the book, I realized that clearly the author was not telling the whole story. Some gaping holes in the book are

1. CIA and the US government remained unaware of Pakistan support to Taliban for a long period. Did they not have sources in the ISI and Pakistan government?
2. Ditto for Saudi support to Taliban.
3. The Israeli agency Mossad is mentioned once in passing in the book. It is difficult to believe that they did not have any intelligence presence in a region which was developing as big threat to their existence. it is difficult to believe that they were a player of no significance in the whole story.

Now, there may be very good reasons for such omissions. However, they left me feeling that the book finally depends on revelations that were very tightly controlled. Obviously there would be control to protect the integrity of sources. But only slightly less obviously, the control can be used to "paint a picture." If you reveal only selected facts, most intelligent readers would draw the conclusions you want them to. I don't know what all has been left out. All I know is that the omissions pointed out above are too significant for me. They make me feel that I am watching a well edited reality show.

well, not this book actually, but a related book by Coll's colleague Parag Khanna titled The Second World.

Some of the various, and numerous, factual errors that riddle the book are relatively trivial, but suggest serious sloppiness and disregard for getting facts right. For example, Yugoslavia was not part of Warsaw pact, as Khanna states. Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov was appointed to office in 1992 by Boris Yeltsin, and not by Vladimir Putin. Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia and Albania are not all smaller by population than Manhattan, and the death toll from the civil wars in former Yugoslavia was not greater than half a million. Other obviously wrong assertions seem to be made up simply to provide lurid background color to Khanna's travelogue: the former KGB headquarters in Moscow has not been turned into "a high-class disco," expensive Moscow malls do not charge entrance fees, and police road checkpoints in Uzbekistan do not stop and check all vehicles. And other gross misstatements of fact display a simple complete lack of understanding the history and culture of the countries of which he writes: the (Orthodox) Uspenky cave monastery in Crimea is not representative of Ukraine's "proud Catholic heritage," Zoran Djindjic was not the first democratically elected leader since World War II in former Yugoslavia , and in the 1980s Yugoslav republics like Bosnia and Macedonia were not richer than Spain. Many of Khanna's wildly wrong claims sound like local myths that he has taken at face value. I can easily imagine some misguided elderly Belgrade resident waxing nostalgically for the days "when every one of our republics was richer than Spain!"

Yet more of Khanna's assertions are not merely factually wrong, but far exceed the ludicrous. In the fast paced and dangerous Russian business world, "one is safe only in the sauna, where everyone is naked and no weapons are allowed." It was news to me to learn from Khanna that every winter "waves" of Russians and "thousands of Ukrainians" freeze to death in "crumbling heatless apartment blocks." And he employs gross mischaracterizations of fact to buttress his claims. For example, according to Khanna, in 2006 Greek GDP increased 25% when the government started to account for prostitution and cigarette smuggling in its figures. In fact, the government said it would include all unreported economic activity, mostly in construction and trade, but including a "small" amount for illegal activities such as smuggling. And this is merely a sampling of patently ridiculous claims.

And for a "foreign policy whiz-kid," Khanna makes numerous and serious analytical mistakes, showing a clear misunderstanding of economics, international institutions, and international relations. The unhedged statement, "Russia's diplomatic position is purely residual," will surely surprise diplomats from Brussels to Tokyo. Noting that Gazprom's market capitalization is $300 billion leads Khanna to the conclusion that Gazprom is one third of the Russian economy, confusing market capitalization with GDP. And his bald assertion that "[n]one of Central Asian legal systems have evolved beyond Kakfaaesque" is belied by the numerous successful legislative accomplishments of Kazakhstan and its quite sophisticated legal code, for example.


But the worst moments of Khanna's book are when he quotes conversations that seem of such dubious authenticity as to make me believe they may be fabricated, or at best the result of very selective reporting, only relating those comments that fit within his pre-existing views. "'Our pride has suffered'" explains a "Moscow intellectual over a narrow glass of [of course] ice-chilled vodka, `but this only drives our nationalism further.'" In Kiev, the locals "give lifts to strangers for a token fare." Why? "We suffered enough together, so we still trust each other." There are just too many such (anonymous) quotations that fail to ring true to trust in the author's integrity. And he also reports statements by national leaders as if they were heard in personal conversation, yet in a curiously indirect fashion that suggests otherwise.

Wow! Never have I read such an engaging, informative book of such importance. If you want to understand Middle East politics, conflicts and major principals and how they were affected by American power read Ghost Wars. I found it refreshing to read a true journalistic account as dispassionate and unbiased as Steve Coll's brilliant book. His background information on Middle East history and the movers and shakers was perfect - not too long-winded or short-shifted. About as perfect an investigative non-fiction book can be.

i ordered this book about 2 weeks ago and have not yet received it. PlEASE EXPLAIN.

The subtitle of this book says it all. If you take nothing else away from this review recognize that. Anything I have to say after that is pretty meaningless by comparison.

The Third World War goes on today. It's not a war in the traditional sense like WWI or II. During World War I and World War II our enemies were unable to cross the Atlantic or Pacific and strike mainland America. Like the attack on Pearl Harbor, 9/11 indicated that we were at war we just didn't know it yet. That war began before September 11, 2001 but that was the first major strike of the war. The Third World War isn't about ideology but about unfinished business in countries where the Soviets and the United States had interests, slights against other countries and religion.

Steve Coll's excellent, well documented book GHOST WARS examines the events leading up to 9/11, how our policy enabled these horrible events to occur, the inability by U.S. analyst to see (or to have people in power listen to them)and miscalculations/lack of involvement in Afghanistan after the Soviet's pulled out allowed the Taliban to take power and isolate those that might have been our allies. In the process, bin Laden rose to power creating his the insidious network of suicide bombers all in pursuit of his jihad.

Colon does an exceptional job of documenting how all this occurred. The research that Coll and Griff Witt did as the background to this fascinating but also terrifying story provides exhaustive detail on how policy makers could bungle the latest threat that the United States and the rest of the world face today.

Coll begins his book going as far back as 1976 during the Carter administration and the seige on the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan and traces the roots of discontent that would bear deadly fruitation in 2001. He connects the dots showing how all of these steps from that seige to the bumbling invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. support (and abandonment) of anti-Soviet guerrilla commanders in that country when brewed together with foreigners such as bin Laden creating the toxic soup of terrorist activity seen before and since that fateful date in 2001.

Coll's book won the Pultizer Prize and is highly recommended for an exhaustive and fascinating glimpse into the pieces of the puzzle that, when put together, gave us a picture of the murder of innocents, destruction and evil. If politics is war by a different means, than so is terrorism.

The only way this book would score more than one star is if people buy it as a work of fiction. It is riddled with factual holes and just plain wrong information, I don't know if this was by design to create an element of fiction, or just terrible research. Please avoid this turkey unless you're into fictional analysis.

- I have 4 years of in-depth, on ground research in the area he describes. I didn't need an iota of that experience to dismiss this hogwash, the factual inaccuracies are so profuse that most people from the region are able to dismiss this without any formal background in technical political analysis.

Exceptional read. In hindsight, one can only imagine what would be if we had taken the left instead of the right (no politics) or not chose certain countries to be part of the end game.