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

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 Southeastern part of the country! An unintended consequence of these actions - as the intelligence agencies become 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 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 Bin Laden's camp. And at one point a 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-Afghan War, 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. In this ambitious work, Coll captures in precise detail the events leading up to 9/11 from the early days of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan through the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, and the USS Cole bombing. 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 talented and capable government officials missed so many clues in the run-up to 9/11. The detailed character development (including that of Bin Laden) without a doubt is the most satisfying element of Ghost Wars. 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.

Very good, very well-written and well-sourced. Coll really lines up the dominos and presents the complex web of commonly-competing interests in a way that is relatively easy to understand given its innate intricacy, covering the varied activities and motivations Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Russia, Iran and of course the US had in getting involved in Afghanistan itself. Not the easiest read density-wise to be sure for those who aren't used to reading much history, but a rewarding read nonetheless. On a different note, Osama bin Laden does obviously drive a lot of the story, but the narrative focuses more on how government actors responded to him rather than an account of his actions/personal life. If you're looking for that story, I would read The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright, which is also a good book, but honestly I like this one a lot better. The history/geopolitics of the region are not only interesting on their own but again, well-researched and, to Coll's credit, well-told. I read this for an episode of my podcast, Hard Fried History.

. . . and I thought Bob Woodward had inside sources. "Ghost Wars" is a fresh, detailed, and fascinating assessment of the United States' experience with Afghanistan from 1979 to the eve of 9/11/2001. The axes upon Coll bases his discussion are all in the sub-title: Afghanistan, the CIA, and Osama Bin Laden. Coll's recounting of this twenty year saga goes far to explain the roots and development of the United States's inability to deter the danger that became so graphically evident the day after this book's narrative ends. Taking the trip with Mr. Coll is well worth the effort. Yes, the book is detailed, but it would be a disservice to back away from the intricacies of the story -- just as it has proven to be a mistake for the United States to have backed away from the complexities of Afghanistan once the Soviets withdrew. Coll's discussion illustrates just how difficult a task it is to deal with the tapestry of agendas that both divide and bind the Middle East from Egypt to India. While one might wish to disengage from such interwoven complexities, the risk of ignoring a failing state such as Afghanistan is to allow the creation of a untamed country in which an extreme regime such as the Taliban and a group as dangerous as that sponsored by Osama bin Laden can take root and thrive. There are a host of issues to be derived from this history. One of the greatest is the question of how the United States can ever deal with its constantly-changing, yet essential agenda. It is always huge. In hindsight, it is easy to condemn successive administrations for failing to pay attention to issues that later develop into crises. At the same time, a president such as Bush 41 may encounter other priorities such as the break-up of the Soviet Union or an invasion of Kuwait. Once a story falls off the front page, attention shifts elsewhere. As Coll illustrates, great risks can arise from the recurrent attention-deficit disorder of the focus of U.S. foreign policy. That risk is only compounded when the government tacks and gibes in response to political winds. It's devilishly hard to keep one's eye on the ball when the game itself keeps changing. Unlike a Tom Clancy novel, "Ghost Wars" shows that the good guys don't always win. The unfolding of actual events carries no guarantees. The government may be paralyzed by imperfect information and irreconcilable agendas both within and outside its agencies. If there is one sweeping lesson to be derived from this story, it is that the U.S. needs a far more varied and nuanced approach to the world, one that is not so reliant upon military predominance, but rather one that relies upon the collection of good intelligence, thorough analysis, careful diplomacy, and, yes, when needed, covert action. I sharply disagree with those who see this work as a political polemic. Coll's recounting of events carries plenty of blame (if that is the right word) for a succession of failures that can be attributed to a succession of agencies, politicians, and presidents alike. A system which embraces an ever-changing focus driven by political imperatives is the risk -- not necessarily the individuals or their politics. I do wish that Coll had carried through with an epilogue to shed light on the events in Afghanistan of the past two to three years and the relationship of the U.S. to that sad country today. The story ends rather abruptly with the assassination of Massoud on September 9. I know Coll has more to say about how the United States' response to 9/11 in Afghanistan has affected our relations with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

This work is the most comprehensive historical narrative of any event that I've ever interacted with. An endorsement on the back cover by The New York Review of Books notes "The CIA itself would be hard put to beat his grasp of Global Events." To me, this seemed overstatement... until I read the book. The scope of this book is beyond even my ability to follow. Its easy to see why he was awarded a Pulitzer for his effort. I feel like I should get some sort of award just for reading it. But due to the book's scope and the fact that I am almost completely new to reading about modern foreign affairs in the Middle East I am not inclined to give a critical review of this book. Instead, I'll reflect on how I experienced this book. I relied heavily on reading techniques I learned from Mortimer Adler and patiently prodded through hundreds of names, dates, and places completely foreign to me. The 4 page character list at the book's beginning was of some help but reading was often a dizzying experience. Once I got used to calmly allowing thousands of interesting characters and details slip through my short-term memory I was amazed at how much I learned about history (Afgan-soviet war), foreign policy, internal political pressures, mucky bureaucracy, and the inter-workings of the CIA. It was such a satisfying, educational experience. Coll writes with a balanced, non-partisan hand, refraining from commentary and equally passing judgment on the most apparent issues. I now feel as I have some of the language and context necessary to understand America's involvement in foreign affairs. This is truly a spectacular work and I recommend it to any hearty individual.

Ghost Wars is a very fine way to learn as much as possible about all the disparate roots that converged into 9/11. Coll does the unfamiliar reader a great service by going back to the very beginning of the issue (and even before that), but showing the Soviet Union as Public Enemy #1, and using that launching point to illuminate the changes in foreign policy and Middle Eastern strife from which the Taliban rose, Nazi-like, to its imperial status in Afghanistan. The book is written by a journalist, and it really shows; the writing is crisp, an every sentence is finely shaped and to-the-point. As a means of delivering information this is very beneficial; however there is a clear lack of emotion here as Coll describes such a tortured region undergoing such catastrophic change. This and my typically Western ignorance about the region made the book an oftentimes challenging read, but the more well-informed will appreciate the background it provides. That is a minor quibble, however, as the book overall is incredibly fascinating. Each major figure, American and Middle Eastern alike, is fleshed-out well, and their role in the endlessly nuanced plots and strategies between all countries is very illuminating. Anyone with a renewed interest in the area since bin Laden's death, or those interested in the background to the current war(s) would be hard-pressed for a better source of info than this; it's almost an encyclopedia. This is a distinguished, necessary book.

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.

For some, the breadth of knowledge regarding 18th, 19th, and 20th century Russian and Middle Eastern history combined with American and British foreign policy is vague at best. Although it helps, Steve Coll helps familiarize the novice reader and gets them up to par quite well. Despite that, the book is quite heavy and slightly outdated (2004). It does give a very good historical perspective for each important figure leading up to September 11th, 2001. We all remember what happened that day and what took place immediately after, but very few know the intel and the lack of Presidential prioritization (Carter, Reagan, H.W. Bush, and Clinton). Understanding the difference between al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban would be rather helpful. Understanding American foreign policy in the Middle East following the fall of the USSR is helpful and helps better understand how American foreign policy viewed the Taliban at the time. This was a very good book, but, like I said, it’s very heavy, long, and hard to really grasp an interest for if you’re not truly interested in the particular topic. If you love understanding American foreign policy, the Middle East, Russia, etc. you will love this book.

I gave this book a solid 4 stars because the subject is so interesting and it keeps you clued to the pages all the way to the last few pages. Instead of ending in a giant crescendo of planes flying into the twin towers, it just winds down into anti climatic ending that leaves you feeling very unfulfilled and wishing for more. I hate to make the comparison to a romantic interlude that ends with a huge disappointment but I can't think of a better one. All thru the book you are seeing the connections come together and know where they will eventually end and the closer you get the more exciting it becomes and then finally when you're ready for the ultimate climax, the author simply walks away, leaving the reader wondering what the heck just happened. But this is just a minor complaint, the book itself is wonderfully written and researched and would have been an easy 5 star book had it not ended too soon. All in all, I'm glad I bought this book and recommend it to others.

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"Ghost Wars" ist eine fesselnde Erkundung der geheimen Welt des Geheimdienstes und der politischen Intrigen im Kontext der US-amerikanischen Intervention in Afghanistan. Steve Coll liefert eine meisterhafte Darstellung der komplexen Dynamik und der Hintergrundgeschichte, die zu den Ereignissen vor und nach den Anschlägen vom 11. September 2001 führten. Die tiefgehende Recherche und die detaillierte Erzählweise verleihen dem Buch eine beeindruckende Authentizität. Es bietet nicht nur einen Einblick in die politischen Entscheidungen, sondern auch in die Motivationen der Schlüsselakteure. "Ghost Wars" ist eine anspruchsvolle, aber lohnende Lektüre für diejenigen, die sich für Politik, Geschichte und die komplexen Verflechtungen der Geheimdienstarbeit interessieren.

The book by Steve Coll covers the time period from USSR invasion of Afghanistan in 1978 to World Trade centre attack in 2001. The book provides you the most detailed information about the role played by CIA, Pakistan and Saudi intelligence in birth of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and the radical Islamist ideology that still is a danger to the world. I don't have words to explain how good this book is. It tell you in very clear way the path that led to 9/11 attacks. There were so many opportunities available to US government to take out Laden before he could plan attack but reluctance and indecisiveness of US administration allowed this menace to grow bigger and stronger to a level where they could not control it. The interagency difference played its role in ensuring that never tough decision could be taken against Laden or Pakistani intelligence which countinue to provide training and radical jihadists from the madarasas operating in Pakistan. The role of Saudi intelligence is sometimes ignored when we talk about the radical Islamist ideology. It was Saudi charities which provided funds in millions of dollars to these extremists so that they could spread the Wahhabi ideology to other parts of Muslim world as well. Overall to understand the current crisis of Afghanistan that is unfolding right before our eyes today we have to delve in the past. This book provides us a window to look at the past events in the way they happened and the important roles played by different players. After reading the book I really felt all this mess in Afghanistan could have been avoided if US had acted on time. India too have suffered because of terrorism which have its roots in Afghanistan and used by Pakistan as an weapon to further its agenda in Kashmir. Still I don't believe international community do not openly condemn the Pakistanis for their tacit support to terrorists and their use of terrorism as a state policy to wage proxy war against India. Overall a great book and definitely deserved the Pulitzer Prize. A great appreciation to the author Steve Coll for writing such a deeply researched book. I Will now start reading the sequel of this book "Directorate S" by same author which covers the events happend post 9/11.

Excellent book. Explains in detail how some of the Islamic problems we're dealing with today were created by the misguided CIA in the 80's and 90's. They were so intent on stopping communism they were willing to hop into bed with the Islamic extremists...not realizing that after communism was stopped in that part of the world they would turn all the weapons and training we had given them back on us.

Arrived un due time in perfect conditions as offered