Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History | 
| Author: George Crile
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  193 reviews
Sales Rank: 28573
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0871138549
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1045
EAN: 9780871138545
ASIN: 0871138549
Publication Date: April 2003
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Product Description
From an award-winning 60 Minutes reporter comes the extraordinary story of the largest and most successful CIA operation in history-the arming of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, pressure mounted for the Americans to support the Afghan resistance. Charlie Wilson, a maverick congressman from East Texas who sat on the powerful House Defense Appropriations Committee, persuaded his colleagues to allocate $10 million to fund the CIA's effort to arm the Mujahideen. Charlie Wilson's War tells the story of what became the largest covert operation in history; funding eventually grew to over $1 billion a year. The book includes an incredible cast of characters: Charlie, the charismatic, hard-partying congressman who raised eyebrows when traveling to Pakistan with unusual companions -- one his personal belly dancer, another an ex-beauty queen -- but was passionate about supporting the Afghans and brilliant at getting deals done. Gust Avrakotos, a working-class Greek among Ivy Leaguers at the CIA who set up the team that ran the largest operation in the history of the CIA. President Zia of Pakistan, who became great friends with Charlie and used his leverage to get huge aid dollars as well as keep the West looking away as he built the first Muslim bomb. Moving from the back rooms of the Capitol, to secret chambers at Langley, to arms-dealers conventions, to the Khyber Pass, Charlie Wilson's War is brilliantly reported -- one of the most detailed and compulsively readable accounts of the inside workings of the CIA ever written, with a cast of characters and a plot out of Le Carre or Clancy. This book is a remarkable account of the last battle of the Cold War, a battle that helped weaken the Soviet Union and led to its collapse and, of course, paved the way to the rise of the Taliban, with consequences that we are dealing with today.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 188 more reviews...
 Is this really how we operate? July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
 A Rendevous with the Devil (the devil is in the details) June 30, 2008
34 out of 49 found this review helpful
When Charlie Wilson first learned that the Afganistan soldiers, couragous fighters, were dying in large numbers and losing the war due to lack of an anti-aircraft gun which would shoot down the Hind helicopter, Charlie Wilson made it his goal and mission to supply these courageous warriors with such a weapon. The book does a superb job of detailing how this U.S. Senator became friends with powerful Israeli allies, Egyptian arms dealers, Pakestani President Zia al Huq who secretly helped the Afghanistan warriors, and with Gust Avrakotos, a C.I.A. agent with a checkered past. Wilson met Avratokos soon after he became the acting chief of the South Asia Operations Group, right about the time Wilson made it his mission to increase arms to the Afghani mujahideen. It was this partnership which sealed the deal to increase funds for the Afghanistan war and provide the weapons the warriors needed against the Soviet high tech helicopters and equipment. Gust Avratokos hired Mike Vickers, a low level C.I.A. agent, who demonstrated extraordinairy knowledge of Soviet weapons and also an uncanny precise ability to strategize military tactics, weapons, and guerilla maneuvers against them. Due to Vickers skills, Charlie Wilson's plans were becoming aligned with reality. George Crile does an amazing job of detailing how politics, human relations, world events and just plain luck can collide and melt creating the right outcome. This book helps the reader understand how very complex current world events really are, and that sometimes, the most astonishing interplay of unexpected elements can bring about success, despite the odds against them. The film "Charlie Wilson's War" is good and is recommended but it is highly selective in its contents and therefore superficial compared to the book.
This book is a fascinating document which describes an important event in United States history. Mostly because Charlie Wilson, a U.S. Congressman, became deeply involved in escalating C.I.A. covert operations in Afghanisian to influence the outcome of the war against the Soviets. It is something no other Congressman had ever done before and he achieved his goals beyond his wildest imagination! His persistent efforts and many political connections in the U.S. and world wide, made it possible for the Afghanistan mujahideen to turn the war around and win it, All this happened during the Iran-Contra hearings when *any* intervention by the United States, especially covert opeations, was looked upon with suspicion by elected officials. The C.I.A. dared not appear directly involved. They feared being called before the Intelligence Committee and having to reveal or defend their actions. Instead, they underhandedly provided Soviet weapons making it look like the mujahideen were using captured weapons or they supplied them with old World War I weapons and ammunition ... until Charlie Wilson got involved.
This Congressman dared to go where no Congressman had gone before! He got involved in areas typicaly reserved and controlled by the President of the United States. The President made decisions regarding foreign policy, specifically war, based on advice from the Director of the C.I.A., certain Intelligence Committees and the Pentagon. This Congressman nearly broke the law by stepping into territory which was defined as 'creating foreign policy' or worse yet, 'engaging in war', both areas totally controlled by the Executive branch of the goverment. The question begs to be asked, how plausible is it that a United States Congressman, a Texas socialite, and a renegade C.I.A. agent can ensure that a small nation receives the *right* weapon to win a war against a Super Power, the Soviet Union? Not plausible, very low probablilty, nearly impossible, it only happens in novels. Yet, as the saying goes, 'truth is stranger than fiction' and George Crile does an amazing job in piecing together how this *really* happened during tense political times. Also *most* highly recommended is the book Afghanistan: A Russian Soldier's Story written by Vlad Tamarov. He provides great insight and unique perspectives from his personal experience. Remember, the Russian soldiers were *not* volunteers but were conscripted to fight and die for a questionable objective. It is still unclear to me why the Soviet leaders initiated this war, what was there to gain from it? Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
 Gets Bogged Down in the Details June 28, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book tells an interesting piece of modern history. However, Grile just puts in too many unnecessary details. It is not necessary to give the biography of every character in the story, especially minor characters. Grile gives the background of every woman Charlie brings with him to Pakistan. This really disrupted the flow of relevant information.
Also, this book was written in 2003. Five years later America still has Soldiers in Afghanistan. It makes the book feel premature. It is hard to provide perspective when we don't know what the final outcome is.
Overall, the information was ok but at times it felt baised. My main criticism was that the text was too dense and included too many irrelevant details.
This book added a dimension to my own Afghan experience. June 21, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Robin Hood and his merry men June 11, 2008
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.
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