The Way of the Knife: the CIA, a secret army, and a war at the ends of the Earth

The most momentous change in American warfare over the past two decades has taken place away from the battlefields, argues Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mark Mazzetti, who tells the story of that shadow war fought with killer drones and special operations troops, in which the U.S. relies on dictators, untrustworthy foreign intelligence services, and proxy armies. In addition to outlining the many hazards of this remote-controlled warfare, Mazzetti tracks an astonishing cast of participants, including a CIA officer dropped into the tribal areas to learn about Pakistani war games, the chain-smoking Pentagon official running an off-the-books spy operation, and a Virginia socialite hired to gather intelligence about militants in Somalia.