Ghost Wars (Steve Coll)

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#CIAhistory #Afghanistanconflict #SovietAfghanwar #Talibanrise #OsamabinLaden #GhostWars

These are takeaways from this book.

Firstly, Building the Afghan jihad pipeline during the Soviet war, A central topic is how the anti-Soviet campaign was designed, funded, and executed through covert channels, and how that machinery reshaped Afghanistan and the wider region. The book outlines the strategic rationale in Washington to bleed the Soviet Union, then follows how weapons, money, training, and propaganda flowed into the country. It highlights the complexity of turning policy goals into field outcomes, where intelligence officers, diplomats, and regional partners often pursued different priorities. The narrative underscores that support for resistance groups was not a single unified program but a set of evolving bargains, frequently mediated by Pakistan’s intelligence services and influenced by Saudi financing. Coll emphasizes the tradeoffs inherent in proxy war: the need for deniability, the pressure to show measurable results, and the reliance on local power brokers who had their own agendas. This topic also explores how wartime networks, logistics routes, and ideological narratives created durable infrastructures that outlasted the conflict. By tracking decisions about which factions received support, the book shows how external patronage could empower certain commanders, intensify rivalries, and contribute to the militarization of politics. The result is a nuanced account of how a short-term strategic victory helped set the stage for longer-term instability.

Secondly, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the problem of partners with independent aims, Another major theme is the role of key partners whose cooperation was essential but whose objectives diverged sharply from those of the United States. The book describes Pakistan as both gateway and power broker, using its position to shape Afghan outcomes and maintain strategic depth against regional rivals. That leverage affected which Afghan groups gained resources and legitimacy, and it also created blind spots for American officials who depended on Pakistani access and reporting. Saudi Arabia appears not only as a funding source but as an ideological and political actor whose patrons and charities helped move money, fighters, and influence across borders. Coll portrays the relationship as a constant negotiation over control, oversight, and end goals, with the CIA often prioritizing operational momentum over long-term alignment. This topic shows how alliances can become path dependent: once a system of cooperation exists, reversing course becomes costly, bureaucratically difficult, and diplomatically risky. It also illustrates how intelligence partnerships can fragment accountability, since responsibilities and authorities are split across agencies and countries. By examining this web of state interests, the book clarifies why certain extremist networks found room to organize and why later counterterrorism efforts faced structural obstacles rooted in earlier bargains.

Thirdly, From Soviet withdrawal to civil war and state collapse, The book devotes significant attention to the period after the Soviet exit, when external attention diminished and Afghanistan slid into factional warfare. This topic explains how the end of a clear enemy did not produce peace, but instead exposed unresolved disputes among mujahideen groups and their sponsors. Coll traces how the fall of the communist government and the struggle for Kabul intensified competition, produced shifting coalitions, and destroyed remaining state institutions. The narrative emphasizes that war economies and militia structures developed their own momentum, making political compromise harder. It also shows how international policy struggled to adjust: resources and focus were reduced, while decision makers debated whether Afghanistan still mattered strategically. The decline in sustained diplomacy and reconstruction support is presented as a critical context for understanding why armed factions continued to dominate. This topic also explores how civilians experienced the consequences of prolonged conflict, including displacement and the erosion of social and economic life, which in turn affected the legitimacy of any would-be national government. Coll’s account helps readers see that the Taliban did not emerge in a vacuum; they rose in a landscape shaped by exhaustion, insecurity, and the perceived failure of rival commanders to deliver order.

Fourthly, The Taliban’s rise and the reshaping of regional calculations, A key topic is how the Taliban moved from a local movement to a national power, and how regional states and international actors responded. The book describes the Taliban’s appeal as a force promising security and predictable rules amid chaos, while also emphasizing their harsh social policies and dependence on external backing. Coll tracks how Pakistan’s strategic interests intersected with the Taliban’s expansion and how other neighbors adjusted their strategies as the balance of power shifted. This topic also addresses the dilemmas faced by diplomats and intelligence services: whether to engage the Taliban for stability, isolate them for human rights abuses, or treat them primarily through the lens of counterterrorism. The narrative shows that these questions were not abstract, because the Taliban’s consolidation affected trade routes, refugee flows, and the safety of international personnel. Coll illustrates how the Taliban’s governance style and alliances created new opportunities for militant groups to operate, while also generating friction with parts of the international community. The topic highlights the policy uncertainty of the era, when energy interests, regional rivalries, and concerns about extremism competed for attention. The result is a detailed picture of how a regime’s internal character can have external security consequences, and how incremental decisions can normalize risks that later become acute.

Lastly, Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and the missed chances of pre-9/11 counterterrorism, The book culminates in an examination of how Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda evolved from participants in a broader militant ecosystem into a focused transnational terrorist organization, and how the United States grappled with that shift. Coll describes the difficulty of retooling institutions built for Cold War covert action into ones capable of sustained counterterrorism, especially when legal constraints, interagency rivalries, and uncertain intelligence limited options. This topic explores how policymakers weighed covert capture or lethal action, diplomatic pressure on the Taliban, and cooperation with regional intelligence services that had their own equities. It also discusses how warning signals and operational leads could be abundant yet fragmented, leaving decision makers with an incomplete picture and contested interpretations. The narrative emphasizes that failures were often systemic rather than singular: divided responsibilities, short political time horizons, and the tendency to prioritize crisis response over long-term strategy. Coll also highlights how the sanctuary in Afghanistan, enabled by Taliban protection and regional dynamics, magnified Al Qaeda’s ability to plan. By tracing events up to September 10, 2001, this topic shows the cumulative effect of years of decisions, where ambiguity and incrementalism produced a dangerous status quo.