HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Terrorism and the New War [Paperback]

Gideon Rose (Author), James F. Hoge Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Publicaffairs Reports | Publication Date: November 2001

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on September 11, one question has been on everyone's mind: "How did this happen?" This book seeks to answer this question in all its critical aspects--the motives and actions of the terrorists, the status of the U.S. military, the context of the Middle East, bioterrorism, airport security, diplomatic pressures--and to provide readers with perspective, information, and sound interpretation. The editors of Foreign Affairs have brought together noted experts whose insights make the events of that terrible day more understandable, even as we steel ourselves for the conflicts ahead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thorough, accessible and highly balanced primer, which should raise the quality of the ongoing debate." -- Peter Gizewski, Toronto Globe and Mail, February 16, 2002.

About the Author

James F. Hoge, Jr., is the editor of Foreign Affairs and was previously publisher of the New York Daily News and editor and publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times. Gideon Rose, the managing editor of Foreign Affairs, has served on the staff of the National Security Council and has taught at Princeton and Columbia universities.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586481304
• ISBN-13: 978-1586481308
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,011,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well might they ask, March 28, 2002

By 

Andrew S. Rogers (Stamford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Terrorism and the New War (Paperback)

Let's see. Contributors to this collection include: Bill Clinton's secretary of defense; Bill Clinton's national security advisor; a raft of folks from Bill Clinton's National Security Council; Bill Clinton's hand-picked chairman of the Joint Chiefs and his Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; and the chairman of Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors. If one thing is clear, even from reading just the table of contents, it's that the answer to the title question won't involve pointing many fingers at America's forty-second president.

And it turns out it doesn't. As befits Foreign Affairs magazine, which assembled the essays published here, the contributors are all pillars of the Foreign Policy Establishment (can you get more ubiquitous than Brian Jenkins?). Consequently, few of the analyses or recommendations venture far from what you'd find on the New York Times op-ed page.

I thought the first four essays were the best in the book. They analyzed the September 11 terrorists themselves, the Middle Eastern culture whence they sprang, and the impact of America's quest for a Pax Americana. Once the focus turned from history and sociology to defense and counter-terrorism strategies, the voice of Conventional Wisdom was clearly recognizable.

Sandy Berger's offering is typical: 'First, we must dismantle and destroy the terror groups arrayed against us, and their support systems, using every tool at our disposal, including military force. In so doing, we must use that force in a way that isolates the extremists without isolating us. ... Second, we must bring more of our diplomatic, political, intellectual, and economic energy to the Islamic world ... Third, we must actively seek to reverse the spiral of violence in the Middle East...' (p. 126-127). It says so much, and yet so little.

In the next essay, William Wechsler argues that President Clinton did the right thing in targeting the Al Qaeda financial structure, and that President Bush needs to keep doing it, and also start doing it again. The bad guys here, it turns out, were Phil Gramm and Paul O'Neill, who failed to recognize the wisdom of the Clinton approach.

Another theme runs through these latter essays too. 'The U.S. government needs more power to (Wechsler, p. 142) ... the key for [Tom] Ridge will be budgetary authority (Nye, p. 206) ... devote more funding to intelligence and law enforcement programs (Perry, p. 237) ... there simply wasn't enough money in the defense budgets (Clark, p. 246)' ... and on, and on. A nice contrast was Richard Betts' clear-eyed piece about the U.S. intelligence community, its 'failures' in the war against terrorism, and what the American people can and legitimately should expect from our intelligence agencies.

In all, there is some good background and historical material here, and a few insights into establishment thinking on terrorism and how to deal with it. But few people who've been paying attention to these issues will fund much here that's new.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Frame of Reference, June 3, 2002

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Terrorism and the New War (Paperback)

For those who wish to understand both "how" and "why" events on September 11th occurred, I think this is the best single-source of information and analysis. Hoge and Rose have assembled and edited 23 essays written by a commendably diverse number of authorities on separate but related subjects which include an "anatomy of the terrorist attack" (Brian M. Jenkins). "Islam through history" (Karen Armstrong), "prevention, deterrence, defense" (William J. Perry), "the economic repercussions" (Martin N. Bailey), and "what September 11th hath wrought" (Fareed Zakaria). Obviously, all of us (including these and other authorities) are still sorting through and correlating new information as it becomes available. Definitive "answers" to the questions we now ask may not be determined for years and perhaps not for decades. Obviously, the events which occurred on September 11th did not occur in a vacuum. Moreover, the implications and consequences of those events continue to reveal themselves. For me, this anthology's greatest value lies in the frame of reference which the essayists create. Hoge and Rose conclude their Introduction as follows: "As we mourn the dead, we must also absorb the lessons, some of which are grim. Additional terrorist attacks on America are likely. Chemical and biological weapons may be used. September 11, an outrage and a tragedy for us, is an inspiration for terrorists. Only preparedness, determination, and ultimately, self-confidence can offset the forebodings. The moral that Winston Churchill chose for his towering history of the previous global conflict is as apt now as it was then:

In War: Resolution
In Defeat: Defiance
In Victory: Magnanimity
In Peace: Goodwill

Those who carefully read this book will also be better prepared to understand what has yet to occur, not only in the United States but throughout the world.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It answers the question it asks., February 25, 2002

By 

Emil L. Posey (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Terrorism and the New War (Paperback)

Hoge and Rose are the editor and managing editor, respectively, of Foreign Affairs. The title asks the question, referring to 9/11, and the various essays in the book collectively answer it. There are 23 essays in the book that approach 9/11 from a wide variety of angles. The authors, each a recognized expert in his/her field, are a bunch of very smart, experienced people giving their take on what happened, why it happened, and what it means. No matter what your particular area of interest is - geopolitics, military, sociology, etc. - there's something in this book for you.
Take, for example, the essay "Was It Inevitable ~ Islam Through History," by Karen Armstrong. She admires the virtues of Islam and views the current (last few decades) spate of terrorism in an Islamic fundamentalist historical context. It is an attempt at reform (islah) and renewal (tajdid). "This type of reform, which tried to go back to the fundamentals, became known as the Salafiyya because it looked back to al-Salaf al-Salih, 'the venerable forefathers'" (pg. 65). One of the most famous of these reform movements was Wahhabi, which is the brand of Islam practiced today in Saudi Arabia and in which Osama bin Laden was born.
Contrast this with Walter Laquer (in his essay "Left, Right, and Beyond ~ The Changing Face of Terror"). He puts it in the context of a more general history of terrorism and explains (pg. 76) the rise of Islamist radicalism (terrorism) as the result of a decline of political doctrines and the emergence of a spiritual and intellectual vacuum, albeit the connection is not always straightforward (pg. 77).
Other examples of the plentitude of ideas abound. Milton Beardon ("Graveyard of Empires ~ Afghanistan's Treacherous Peaks") provides a brief, but excellent background on the rise of the Taliban and its Arab influence (the so called Afghan Arabs). Richard K. Betts ("Intelligence Test ~ The Limits of Prevention") provides an outstanding thumbnail analysis of the problems facing the intelligence community in the post-Cold War world. "The All-to-Friendly Skies ~ Security as an Afterthought", by Gregg Easterbrook is alarming, even in retrospect. It provides valuable insight into commercial operations, such as (pg. 179) the point at which commercial airplane pilots actually take command of a given flight and why some pilots want an earlier assumption of that command. "The Unguarded Homeland ~ A Study in Malign Neglect" by Stephen E. Flynn describes how the nature of our economic infrastructure, with its interconnectedness, lack of redundancy, and heavy reliance on private security, increases our vulnerability to attack (i.e., to critical interdiction). He also describes the strain on the US Customs Service, the Coast Guard, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and other government agencies.
The list goes on. The essays provide not only a description of the social and political environment in which 9/11 occurred, but also offer policy options (such as in "The New Security Mantra - Prevention, Deterrence, and Defense" by William J. Perry). The book includes a sobering piece by Anatol Lieven ("The Cold War Is Over ~ The True Significance of the Attacks").
A clear message emerges. What made us vulnerable was a combination of a certain amount of complacency born of arrogance due to no recent US airliner hijackings (no successful attempts for the past 14 years - pg. 166), a low appreciation of the threat based on patterns of terrorist activity as well as an improperly focused intelligence apparatus, and a demand for faster, cheaper air travel. Our focus has improved and our willingness to pay what it costs has already brought improvement with much more on the way if we can sustain our alarm (which is to say, our determination). The question is not "Are we safer since 9/11?" That answer is an unequivocal "Yes." The appropriate question is "Are we safe enough?" Hindsight is once again shown to be 20/20. In retrospect there were some valid reasons for not piecing together the likelihood of 9/11 and there were some that were not so valid. There were plenty of panels and papers providing warnings, but the broader national attitude didn't lend itself to paying heed. The sad truth is that terrorism approaches its targets like water seeking holes in a vessel. Time and our own attitudes are terrorists' allies. Determination, perseverance, and, above all, imagination are the bulwarks of our defense.
Another message emerges as well: the Cold War really is over, and a new world order really is emerging. It may or may not be the one envisaged by President Bush the elder, but 9/11 is the opening campaign of the first war as captured by President Bush the younger. The nation must adapt to new and still-forming geopolitical and cultural realities if we are to prosper in the future. This is an excellent primer to prepare for that journey.