Ghost Wars

I finally finished reading Ghost Wars by Steve Coll. I say finally because I've been reading it on and off for the past six months or so. Not an extremely long book, I'm just a notoriously slow reader as Tricia will attest to. The slow read has nothing to do with the quality of the book. Overall I'd say it is one of the better non-fiction books I've read in some time.

The book basically covers the CIA's history in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet invasion to until 9/11. The first half of the book really does do a good job focusing on the CIA's presence there. However the second half of the book is less about CIA activities and more about both the Clinton and G.W. Bush administration's slow movement with respect to going after al-qaeda and the numerous opportunities they had to do so prior to 9/11. The book also positions Pakistan very unfavorably in their role in helping establish the Taliban as the Afghan leadership and looking the other way on al-qaeda.

Lots of detail in the book, some might say too much but Coll uses it very effectively to tell an extremely objective story with lots of blame to go around. It's clear that the last four administrations - Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II - all played a role in neglecting Afghanistan and letting it become a safe haven for al-qaeda as well as taking far too soft a stance with Pakistan. If you read this book, be warned that you will find yourself getting very angry at times as you learn of all the missed opportunities that could have prevented 9/11 and many, many other tragedies.