Remember a time when the CIA was seen as either the bad guys or at best morally complicated? Back in the Seventies, post-Watergate, if the CIA put in an appearance in a book or film, they were almost never the guys in the white hats. Times have changed, people have moved on, and a former CIA officer like David McCloskey can write a novel that portrays the men and women of the CIA as white knights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Damascus Station is, however, a good story, if a bit more morally ambiguous than the author would have us believe. Set during the early period of the Syrian Civil War it tells the story of a CIA agent who is tasked with recruiting a young woman who, for some reason, sits in a position of power in the Assad regime but is believed to be recruitable. To turn her into a CIA spy, he seduces her. End of story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that’s not how the story actually runs. Instead, he falls in love with her and breaks CIA rules that forbid him from sleeping with a “asset”. Because, you know, white knights would never do stuff like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In case anyone missed the point, the Acknowledgments section is full of praise for the CIA, dedicated to its noble and brave men and women. A sequel is coming out this fall, set in Putin’s Russia. My guess is that once again the brave Americans from Langley will save the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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