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BOOK REVIEW "Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History" by George Crile By PETER SIEGESMUND 11.30.03 11:06PM CST In the midst of an era of introspection and debate over America's role in the Middle East, George Crile has written a fascinating account of what he dubs the largest covert operation in history - America's arming of the Afghan resistance during the 1980s. Although Crile began the project in the early 1990s, the law of unintended consequences has ensured that the subject matter enjoys a new prominence. Crile has written a well researched, refreshingly offbeat and entertaining account of Charlie Wilson's political career and his role in supplying, training and arming the Afghan Mujahideen. For those unfamiliar with "Good Times Charlie," the East Texas Democratic congressman, Charlie Wilson's War will be an amusing and, at times, shocking introduction. Wilson, a Naval Academy graduate with an uncanny behind-the-scenes political talent and a penchant for hard partying, is portrayed as a lovably corrupt rascal who is perpetually chased by scandal. Crile's narrative spans decades, but the first half of the 1980s takes up the better part of the book. The story picks up steam with a debate within the Reagan administration about the morality of arming the Afghan resistance. At odds were two camps, one advocating arming the resistance at any cost while the other questioned the justice in providing support and encouragement to fighters who were vastly outmatched and faced near-certain death. Few believed the resistance would last long. As the war drew on, it became clear that the threat posed by Soviet helicopters to the Mujahideen was at the heart of the issue. Lethally decisive, they were the impetus for much of Charlie Wilson's early involvement. Wilson, using his position on the influential House Appropriations Committee to schmooze, bribe, and bully all who stood in his way, became obsessed with purchasing or developing a mule-portable anti-aircraft weapon for the fighters, and this eventually led to the much-publicized introduction of man-portable surface-to-air missiles to the resistance fighters. Throughout the book, Crile details Wilson's many cloak-and-dagger adventures and introduces us to an extraordinary cast of characters, including: Wilson's CIA accomplice; the Egyptian Minister of Defense with whom he shares a love of women and drink; and a Polish general willing to trade missiles for a promise that the remains of family buried in Canada would be cared for. The introduction to these figures is truly one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Without them it would be a shallow historical narrative. While a highly entertaining read, Crile's work has a number of weaknesses. He often seems unable to decide whether the book is a history of the covert Afghan War or a political biography of Wilson. As a compromise, he opts to make it both and this causes the real story to occasionally slow to a plodding pace. The reader steadily loses interest in Wilson's most recent alcohol-induced accident, his liver failure, or his latest romantic infidelity and these digressions from the heart of the story become boring. Additionally, although there is a wide cast of integral characters that are well represented, Crile's choice of telling the story with Wilson as the protagonist often seems to owe more to his colorful and morally flexible character than a rigorous attempt to assess the influence and impact of the different participants. What is clear is that Crile himself is fascinated with Wilson. While he doesn't shy away from Wilson's multitude of character flaws, he doesn't condemn them either. Wilson's behavior is often unethical and occasionally illegal but Crile chooses not to dwell on these points. Wilson's competence in conducting his own unofficial, seat-of-the-pants foreign policy is never questioned. Had Crile addressed charges that Wilson was in over his head, or that he was manipulated by Pakistani president Zia-Ul-Haq and his cronies in order to receive aid money and political legitimacy, Crile's work would feel more like a serious historical work or hard-nosed piece of journalism and less like a spy novel. Ultimately however, it is this spy-novel style coupled with the understanding that this is a work of non-fiction that makes it such a good read. Whatever your interpretation of Wilson as a person or of his role in the story, Charlie Wilson's War is a book that is difficult to put down. |
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