Steve Coll resumes the narrative of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars and tells for the first time the epic and enthralling story of America's intelligence, military, and diplomatic efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 9/11. Directorate S is nothing less than a forensic examination of the personal and political forces that shape world history. Longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award for Nonfiction.