A depressing but important read. I was really impressed with the depth of detail he was able to deliver, and the range of experiences of the three interview subjects he used to construct the narrative drove home how blunt and ineffective American military power can be in places with such history (or anywhere, really, when the goals are reconstruction and political development). I supported the US going into Afghanistan in 2002 and very little of what came after that (including Obama's surge), and this book makes clear the self-deluding nature of such opinions.