The Way of the Knife The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth

A Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter’s riveting account of the CIA’s transformation after 9/11 and the new American way of war

The most momentous change in American warfare over the past decade has taken place in the corners of the world where large armies can’t go. The CIA, originally created as a Cold War espionage service, is now more than ever a paramilitary agency ordered by the White House to kill off America’s enemies. In The Way of the Knife, Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times reporter Mark Mazzetti recounts the untold story of America’s shadow war, one that blurred the lines between soldiers and spies and lowered the bar for waging war across the globe. This new approach—carried out by CIA operatives and special operations troops—has been embraced by Washington as a lower-risk and cost effective alternative to the messy wars of occupation, but as Mazzetti demonstrates in this revealing book, the way of the knife has created enemies just as it has killed them.

Mark Mazzetti is a national security correspondent for the New York Times. He has received numerous awards, including the George Polk Award, and he shared a Pulitzer Prize for reporting. He lives in Washington, D.C.