I've just finished the Prince of the Marshes by Rory Stewart. It's an account of his time as deputy governer of provinces in Iraq and his disillusionment with the direction of the coalition and their misunderstanding of the middle east. He's one of the few western writers who gives an honest and knowledgable account and opinon of what's going on and he manages to do it without seeming judgemental to either side.
For people not interested in politics his book The Places In Between is one of the best travel accounts I've read. It traces the authors trek on foot across Afghanistan, which was part of a larger 6000 mile journey on foot that he made. It's a perfect little gem of a book and funny too. Made me realise how little we know about that country, and also how little Afghanis know about what's going on in the country due to their remoteness and disparate nature.