Ghost Wars: The Secret History of The CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet

Rating:
Summary: Excellent History of Our Involvement With Militant Islam
Review: An excellent history of the United States' early involvement with militant Islam in Afghanistan, and how we ended up facing an intractable foe today. Neither critical nor laudatory about United States' policy in the Middle East during the past twenty-five years; Coll simply tells it like it is.

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable primer on the topic.
Review: Informative and engaging look at the people and politics involved in the afghan war, and wahabbist islamic extremism. This book provides some interesting details about the Mujhadeen in Afghanistan, and the many sources of funding and direct assistance they received.

All in all, a more serious and academic study of both the conflict and the politics than 'Charlie Wilson's War' - which is an entertaining but narrower view of similar material.

If you are interested in more information on this topic, check out the copious source notes!