About book The Way Of The Knife: The CIA, A Secret Army, And A War At The Ends Of The Earth (2013)
Well written and researched, this book discusses things that I hope aren't true, but I fear are. Only 4 stars, as civilians not completely familiar with the intelligence community and the military may struggle with the comparison between the traditional differences in authority that post 9/11 became changed in a much more subtle and nuanced manner. As this forms the crux of the author's argument, the concept may be elusive to some. Still, worth a read. In general, a well written and well-sourced book on the post-2011 shift of the CIA from classical espionage, designed to provide Washington decision-makers with accurate information on the intentions and personalities of foreign countries, to competition with the Department of Defense (via the Predator program) on lethal operations against players in the non-state (terrorism) battlefield. Mazzetti makes a strong case that Langley has abandoned its proper role and has left the US Government establishment somewhat blind amid the acclerating pace of radical change, particularly in the Arab world and in South Asia. The CIA of today is a far cry from the espionage organization at the end of the Cold War and Mazzetti rightly asks whether it is possible at this point to walk the dog back. If not, there is little doubt that a CIA-type organization will have to be recreated. Amid the fog of war in partisan Washington, such a task is virtually impossible and the major loser is the USA.
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A thoughtful take on the role switches between the CIA and the American military since 9/11.
—lsereywath
This is what the rarified air in Washington DC allows those assholes to do with your money.
—starhooves
If you really want to know what those guys are up to....it ain't gathering intelligence.
—Chloe
