Why the US plunged into a dirty war without end

Steve Coll shows us how "America's secret wars" are shaped

In an ill-advised move, the US selected the Taliban as the inaugural bad guys of the war on terror Pic: Getty

Non-Fiction: Directorate S: The CIA and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan 2001-2016, By Steve Coll, Allen Lane, €23.80

In the Middle Ages, a rose suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber adjoined all those present to secrecy – hence covert activities were said to take place sub rosa, or under the rose. Under the rose is where much of our recent history has occurred.

The “war on terror” announced by ...