As long as this thread is all dug up: Save a thousand words. Is Charlie Wilson's War a/the book to read about that? What is? Give a list if you've got time.You wanna meet the guy who created the Taliban? [Gust Avrakotos]. Explaining that will take me a thousand words, but I can do it.
Here's your list. Charlie Wilson's War is a great read and it contains a lot of jaw-dropping narrative. It's lean on context, however, and presents itself more as a "holy shit these guys did some gonzo stuff!" book than a "in a world full of gonzo stuff, a small team in Washington added to the dogpile" book. It sits nicely with Legacy of Ashes (rofl at the title considering what a phoenix has risen) and Fred Burton's Ghost. Of all the books I've read, Ghost best outlines just how mad, blind and defeated the American intelligence adventure was in the Middle East after 1979. You don't understand just how mad the CIA is at Iran until you've read it. http://www.cc.com/video-clips/11480v/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-fred-burton