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Loading... 88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary (edition 2015)by Robert L. Grenier (Author)
Work Information88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary by Robert L. Grenier
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Biography & Autobiography.
Politics.
Military.
Nonfiction.
HTML: The "first" Afghan War, the CIA's war in response to 9/11,was approved by President Bush and directed by the author, Robert Grenier, theCIA station chief in Islamabad. Forging separate alliances with warlords,Taliban dissidents, and Pakistani intelligence, Grenier defeated the Talibanand put Hamid Karzai in power in eighty-eight days. Later, as head of CIAcounterterrorism, he watches as bureaucratic dysfunction in the CIA, Pentagon,and the White House lead to failure in Iraq and Afghanistan. In his gripping narrative we meet General Tommy Franks, whobridles at CIA control of "his" war; General "Jafar Amin," a gruff Pakistaniintelligence officer who saves Grenier from committing career suicide; MaleehaLodhi, Pakistan's brilliant ambassador to the US, who tries to warn hergovernment of the al-Qaeda threat; "Mark," the CIA operator who guides GulAgha Shirzai to bloody victory over the Taliban; General Kayani, a cautious manwho will become the most powerful man in Pakistan, struggling with Grenier'sdemands while trying to protect his country; and Hamid Karzai, the puzzlinganti-Taliban insurgent, a man of courage, petulance, and vacillating moods. Grenier's enemies out in front prove only slightly morelethal than the ones behind his own lines. This first war is won despiteWashington bureaucrats who divert resources, deny military support, and try toundermine the only Afghan allies capable of winning. Later, as Grenier directed the CIA's role in the Iraq War,he watched the initial victory squandered. His last command was of CIA'sCounterterrorism Center, as Bush-era terrorism policies were beingrepudiated, as the Taliban reemerged in Afghanistan, and as Pakistan descendedinto fratricidal violence. .No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)958.104History and Geography Asia Central Asia AfghanistanLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Probably the best part of the book was the concept of "first" and "second" US-Afghan wars, and the possibility of a third. Essentially the first was the CIA/SOF-driven small war from 2001-2005 (which was largely "won", in the sense of achieving the limited initial objectives, by the end of 2001); the second was the 2005-Present failure involving the big army, hundreds of thousands of military personnel, and essentially negative gains. The third US-Afghan war would be whatever happens after we pull out, Afghanistan becomes a threat again, and we're forced to intervene again.
It's evident from this book that Grenier is very convinced of his own superiority, but it also seems very likely his high estimate of his own competence is accurate. It also seems like CIA, DOD, and the rest of the US Government really were the wrong tools for the job in 2001 (and really, since the end of the Cold War), and that the internal politics within CIA's bureaucracy are toxic and counter to US interests. What's interesting to me is what a purpose-built entity would look like -- and would probably work a lot closer to how a business enters a new market than how CIA/DOD handle operations.
As a tangent, I'd be interested in a book about the role of gender politics within CIA; from this book, other books, and other reports I've heard, it seems like a lot of the post-cold-war hires were female, and highly concentrated in certain roles/departments, and at cross purposes to the post-9/11 challenges, and that the post-9/11 personnel were excessively paramilitary/drone focused, perhaps bad in the other direction. ( )