One to consider and one to read

Dan Byman gives State of War a B review. Byman is, of course, the director of the finest security studies program in the US. In this review, he uses Ghost Wars as a benchmark of excellence in international security writing. If you are interested in American policy in Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion, this is the book you want. If you have heard "America created the Taliban," but would like to really understand the rise of the Taliban and failures of American policy, you really should read this book. The only downside is its length. Steve Coll is a journalist for the Washington Post so he is able to keep the pace moving, but it is still over 700 pages. So you better have some