The Black Banners

The Black Banners
Author: Ali H. Soufan
Publisher: Penguin Group
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Torture
ISBN: 9780241956168

A book that will change the way we think about al-Qaeda, intelligence, and the events that forever changed America.

The Longest War

The Longest War
Author: Peter L. Bergen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 498
Release: 2011-06-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0743278941

At a critical moment in world history The Longest War provides the definitive account of the ongoing battle against terror. --Book Jacket.

Against All Enemies

Against All Enemies
Author: Richard A. Clarke
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2008-12-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 184737588X

Richard Clarke has been one of America's foremost experts on counterterrorism measures for more than two decades. He has served under four presidents from both parties, beginning in Ronald Reagan's State Department becoming America's first Counter-terrorism Czar under Bill Clinton and remaining for the first two years of George W. Bush's administration. He has seen every piece of intelligence on Al-Qaeda from the beginning; he was in the Situation Room on September 11th and he knows exactly what has taken place under the United State's new Department of Homeland Security. Through gripping, thriller-like scenes, he tells the full story for the first time and explains what the Bush Administration are doing.

Decoding Al-Qaeda's Strategy

Decoding Al-Qaeda's Strategy
Author: Michael Ryan
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2013-07-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0231163843

The first book to draw a blueprint for defeating al-Qaeda on ideological rather than military grounds.

The Interrogators

The Interrogators
Author: Chris Mackey
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2004-07-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0759511098

More than 3,000 prisoners in the war on terrorism have been captured, held, and interrogated in Afghanistan alone. But no one knows what transpired in those interactions between prisoner and interrogator -- until now. In The Interrogators, Chris Mackey, the senior interrogator at Bagram Air Base and in Kandahar, where al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners were first detained and questioned, lifts the curtain. Soldiers specially trained in the art of interrogation went face-to-face with the enemy. These mental and psychological battles were as grueling, dramatic, and important as any in the war on terrorism. We learn how, under Mackey's command, his small group of "soldier spies" engineered a breakthrough in interrogation strategy, rewriting techniques and tactics grounded in the Cold War. Mackey reveals the tricks of the trade, and we see how his team -- four men and one woman -- responded to the pressure and the prisoners. By the time Mackey's group was finished, virtually no prisoner went unbroken.

Winning the Un-war

Winning the Un-war
Author: Charles V. Peña
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2011-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612343236

According to President Bush, "the American people are safer" as a result of invading Iraq. True, Saddam Hussein has been removed from power. But al Qaeda, the group that planned and carried out the attacks on September 11, remains at large. Meanwhile, the White House has conceded that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks. Charles Peña argues that the war in Iraq is but one misstep in the Bush administration's "global war on terror." Terrorism is simply a tactic, however, not an enemy. Trying to eradicate it is a quixotic quest that does not focus on those responsible for 9/11. Instead, the national security strategy should consist of three central elements: establishing homeland security against further attacks; dismantling the al Qaeda terrorist network; and enacting a foreign policy that does not attract new al Qaeda terrorists. This approach requires restructuring U.S. forces and ending Cold War-era commitments that distract from the current, pressing threat. It also requires ameliorating the negative consequences of an interventionist U.S. foreign policy, which creates incentives and opportunities for terrorists to target the United States. If we misdiagnose al Qaeda's motivations or focus military efforts on the wrong targets, then we run the risk that the war against the al Qaeda terrorist threat (and the radical Islamic ideology it represents) will become a broader war against the Islamic world that could last generations and cost countless lives. With a foreword by Michael Scheuer, the bestselling author of Imperial Hubris.

Combating a Modern Hydra

Combating a Modern Hydra
Author: Sean N. Kalic
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2013-09-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781492313694

Terror Groups. Global War on Terrorism Combating a Modern Hydra Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism Sean N. Kalic Global War on Terrorism Occasional Paper 8 On 11 September 2001 a new epoch in warfare emerged. With Al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC, the United States suffered one of the most catastrophic attacks on the continental United States in the nation's history. Nineteen days after the attacks, President George W. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress and stated, "Our war on terrorism begins with Al Qaeda, but does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated."I n essence, the president confirmed the opening of the US-led global war on terrorism (GWOT). Unlike previous experiences in which the United States has gone to war, in this new era of warfare, the enemy is fundamentally different. In the past, the United States went to war against nations, regimes, and alliances. In stark contrast within the parameters of the GWOT, the enemy is not a traditional nation-state, regime, or alliance structure. Rather, non-state actors seek to use terrorism and violence to advance their political, theological, and ideological agendas. Since the entire international community structure has been and is based upon traditional nation-states, the GWOT era presents some specific legal, political, and social complications. The objective of this study, however, is to analyze how the terrorist organizations have adapted to the actions taken by the United States and its international allies to win the war on terrorism. Since 11 September 2001, the United States and its allies have pursued terrorist organizations by using a wide variety of law enforcement, financial, military, and diplomatic tools. While the conglomerate of actions taken by the US-led coalition have impacted the organizational structure, finances, and operations of terrorist regimes, these non-state actor remain flexible, resilient, and adaptive in the current security environment.

Combating a Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism

Combating a Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism
Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 83
Release: 2005
Genre:
ISBN: 1428916296

Combating a Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism is number eight in the Combat Studies Institute s Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Occasional Paper series. This work resulted from discussions at Fort Leavenworth about the nature of the enemy facing the United States and its allies since 11 September 2001. Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network had been present at some level in the national and international consciousness since the late 1990s. The events of 11 September 2001 and subsequent global operations taken against Al Qaeda have brought this group to the forefront of the GWOT. While successes have been achieved in the GWOT, the enemy has proven to be resilient and adaptive. This study by Mr. Sean Kalic, of the Department of Military History, US Army Command and General Staff College, examines modern transnational terrorism from the 1960s to the present day, with special emphasis on the adaptation Al Qaeda and other nonstate actors have taken in response to the actions of the United States and its allies. This work provides a cautionary warning about the likelihood Al Qaeda will continue to survive and execute missions in the current operating environment. Mr. Kalic synthesizes much of the pertinent literature and offers insights into the actions taken to ght terrorists. Most importantly, he advises a continual reevaluation of the threat, based on Al Qaeda's exibility, resiliency, and adaptability. Of cers and soldiers who have recently served in operations against the terrorist worldwide will certainly see utility here. As the US Army continues its efforts in combating terrorists, the thoughts found in this narrative are well worth considering.

The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda

The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda
Author: Fawaz A. Gerges
Publisher: OUP USA
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2011-09-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199790655

The author re-evaluates the threat posed by Al-Qaeda following a decade of war.

Counterstrike

Counterstrike
Author: Eric Schmitt
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2011-08-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1429973102

Inside the Pentagon's secretive and revolutionary new strategy to fight terrorism--and its game-changing effects in the Middle East and at home In the years following the 9/11 attacks, the United States waged a "war on terror" that sought to defeat Al Qaeda through brute force. But it soon became clear that this strategy was not working, and by 2005 the Pentagon began looking for a new way. In Counterstrike, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker of The New York Times tell the story of how a group of analysts within the military, at spy agencies, and in law enforcement has fashioned an innovative and effective new strategy to fight terrorism, unbeknownst to most Americans and in sharp contrast to the cowboy slogans that characterized the U.S. government's public posture. Adapting themes from classic Cold War deterrence theory, these strategists have expanded the field of battle in order to disrupt jihadist networks in ever more creative ways. Schmitt and Shanker take readers deep into this theater of war, as ground troops, intelligence operatives, and top executive branch officials have worked together to redefine and restrict the geography available for Al Qaeda to operate in. They also show how these new counterterrorism strategies, adopted under George W. Bush and expanded under Barack Obama, were successfully employed in planning and carrying out the dramatic May 2011 raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Filled with startling revelations about how our national security is being managed, Counterstrike will change the way Americans think about the ongoing struggle with violent radical extremism.