The reality for a woman agent working in the secret world of intelligence often leads to extraordinary obstacles and sacrifices. Melissa Boyle Mahle, a sixteen-year covert operative for the CIA in the Middle East, was the Agency's top-ranked female Arabist before she left in 2002. In Denial and Deception, Mahle not only describes the Agency's successes and failures, but details her life as a woman in one of the last professions that remain almost exclusively male-directed and dominated. The author has a unique vantage point from which to view the political and operational culture of the CIA in the post-Cold War climate, and reveals how it failed to anticipate the 9/11 attacks. From Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, she provides a vivid narrative of how the agency became a rudderless organization, lost in the post-Cold War world. Afraid to take risks that might offend Congress and European allies after overstepping its legal bounds in the Iran-Contra era, gutted of the clandestine operators who knew how to run secret wars, demoralized by criticism and poor performance, the CIA simply became unable and unwilling "to get down and dirty to do the hard part to fight a real war on terrorism."
I am a former US intelligence officer and expert on the Middle East and terrorism. My professional experience involved me in US intelligence operations throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
I was one of a handful of female operations officers fluent in Arabic at the CIA. In a male-dominated culture of the CIA, I carved out a career as a successful operations officer, demonstrating by deed that women can make important contributions. I also sought to balance my professional life with a family life, a particularly difficult challenge for a working mother in the intelligence field.
After leaving the clandestine world in 2002, I embarked on a new career as an author, commentator and movie consultant. My first book, Denial and Deception: An Insider's View of the CIA from Iran-Contra to 9/11, was published in 2005. Part history, part memoir, Denial and Deception answers the question of just what was going on inside the intelligence community in the run up to the 9/11 tragedy. Well received by Washington insiders and lay readers alike, the paperback version was released in 2006. The best part of marketing this book was the opportunity to appear on the Daily Show. Yes, John Stewart is as funny in person.
I also appear in the national electronic and print media as a commentator on intelligence and national security issues and contributes to scholarly journals. On the lighter side, I have a great time participating in youth programs at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and providing technical advice to Hollywood film makers, with film credits for SALT (staring Angelina Jolie) and Hanna (staring Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan).
My current creative efforts are focused on writing children stories geared for middle grade readers who like adventure and spy thriller novels. My writing partner is Kathryn Dennis, a lifelong friend and fellow adventurer.
