Customer Reviews

The Search for al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future

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This book provides a very detailed description of that mysterious phenomenon called `al Qaeda' and offers a strategy to counter the threat that it poses to the U.S. and its allies. Bruce Riedel is by most rational standards an expert on Middle Eastern affairs. He has spent the better part of his government career engaged in the research and analysis of the Middle East and now resides at the Brookings Institute as one of their stable of expert.

Riedel provides a broad outline of al Qaeda including brief biographies of Osma bin Laden and his principal lieutenant Ayman al Zawahari. Perhaps more importantly he identifies the ideology behind the strategic thinking of al Qaeda. In the course of doing so he also explains the close alliance between al Qaeda and the still active Taliban religious movement in Afghanistan. In Riedel's analysis the strategic goal of al Qaeda is to drive the West from the Realm of Islam (Dar al Islam), to establish a Sharia based Caliphate over world wide Islam, and of course to eliminate Israel. Fortunately the majority of Muslims do not necessarily agree with this goal. Still it is a fact that many Muslims see the days of the Baghdad Caliphate (circa 800-1200 CE) as a golden age and often reflect that the age secular nationalism has brought Muslims more humiliations than triumphs.

Riedel's strategy for defeating al Qaeda and its cult of violence is multi-tiered and correctly centers on Afghanistan and Pakistan not Iraq. And he views the struggle as much ideological as military. In his opinion the present administration of George W. Bush blundered badly in its efforts to deal with the continuing threat from al Qaeda and indeed with Operation Iraqi Freedom did exactly what bin Laden had hoped the U.S. would do.

Riedel is clearly not a supporter of the Bush Administration and is in point of fact an advisor to Barrack Obama. Nonetheless this does not invalidate his arguments for how to cope with al Qaeda and to prosecute the real war on terror. This reviewer does not agree with all of his prescriptions for dealing with the al Qaeda Menace, but certainly admits his expertise and subject matter knowledge.

This is a fascinating and important account of the whole Middle East problem with a focus on Al Qaeda by someone who has had firsthand experience in the region for the last thirty years. Riedel served in the CIA for thirty years, advised three Presidents and was also an adviser to NATO for three years, from 2003 to 2006. He has the credentials and the credibility.

The bulk of the book--Chapters Two through Five--treats Zawahiri, Osama (as he calls him), Mullah Omar and Zarqawi. Any reader will definitely learn something he/she didn't know about them from these chapters.

However, the real heart of this book is Chapter Seven, How to Defeat al Qaeda. I have no doubt that Riedel is making his suggestions based on extensive knowledge of the areas, but as I read them, I wondered at the feasibility of many of his proposals.

First, he talks of breaking the narrative of Al Qaeda. At the heart of this narrative/grievance is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. His solution is the two-state one, with Israel abandoning almost of the West Bank and Gaza. His plan is for the 500,000 Israeli settlers to abandon their settlements, and for Palestinian refugees to have the choice of returning to the West Bank or receiving compensation from some international fund (the cost estimated at between $45-$50 billion). He doesn't discuss who is going to compensate the Israeli settlers. Furthermore, Hamas must be a part of the process. In addition, Jerusalem will become an international city once again.

Is all or any of this possible?


Second, for Afghanistan, he wants a Marshall Plan (who's going to pay for it?) to reconstruct the country and a buildup of their army and police force. He actually believes that better roads will lead the poppy farmers to abandon growing poppies and turn to produce. A recent report on the Taliban in Rolling Stone (October 30, 2008) makes Afghanistan sound like a madhouse where all the inmates are armed and in control.


Last, Pakistan he identifies as "the most important and difficult nation to deal with in order to destroy Al Qaeda". . .. Yet, his suggestion is not to support any more dictators and to let democracy rule even though throughout the book he is concerned about the shawdowy role of ISI (the Pakistan intelligence service) in bombings, assassinations and even Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear bombs. Is all this going to change because they have another election?

For Kashmir, he realizes that India will never withdraw, but he still suggests giving the Valley of Kashmir and Srinigar to Pakistan. Will India ever agree to this?

Riedel has many other ideas that may work eventually--e.g., enlist other Arab countries in the fight against Al Qaeda--but I have listed only those suggestions that I find problematic.

This is a very informative book and (Chapters One through Six) a fascinating read. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the problems in that part of the world. It's just that his solutions sound more like a wish-list than real, grounded possibilities that the next President could act on. I hope I'm wrong.

If you are tired of the same old talking heads blathering on TV about things they don't really know about, this is the book for you. Bruce Riedel is the real expert on Al Qaeda and these regions that are so important to US national security. The book reads easily, even with the names that are unfamiliar to the US reader, and communicates a narrative that flows and makes sense. Mr. Riedel could go on for hundreds of pages with the knowledge and background he has, but instead chose to make every page count in a concise account with less than 200 pages. Before I read this book, the whole Al Qaeda-Taliban-Muslim Brotherhood-Sudan-Shiite-Sunni-Iran-Wahabism thing was a morass for me, but this book connected the dots. If only the Bush Administration had chosen to follow this reasoned approach of "knowing your enemy" that won the Cold War, instead of lumping all these issues into a war on "terrorism," the US would be more secure today. This book falls into the "every American needs to read this" category, to understand the nature of the threats and challenges we face!

I will admit that I prefer an academic look at issues that are as important and as complicated as Al Qaeda. I knew of the author's work at the Brookings Institution, so I picked up a copy; I'm glad I did. Bruce Riedel knows Al Qaeda better than 99 percent of US government officials. His deep understanding of the group--and of Islam in general--makes this a great read. He looks at the historical influences surrounding Al Qaeda's creation, the role of personalities in the organization, and at the policy choices the US must make. If you're only going to read one book on Al Qaeda, this should be it.

Bruce Riedel was in the CIA for almost 30 years, and a close advisor to several US Presidents, and has met many world leaders. The book also gave me new appreciation for the work of Presidents Clinton and Bush.

In a nutshell, I can not overemphasis how important it is that you read this book! It is without a doubt the best read on post 9-11 international affairs I have ever read. Clear, easy to read and extremely insightful as to the whos, whys and wheres of Al Qaeda.

The book also puts forth answers on what the US should do to resolve the AQ problem, the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the negative view of the USA by Muslims worldwide, and other critical issues we face today!

The book is only 154 pages of text, so is not a long read, but the book is succinct, well thought out and doesn't waste paper on blathering about unrelated issues.

The book, I must admit, has opened my eyes. I feel I now have a much more sympathetic view of Islam as a religion, and of different cultures such as the Saudi Kingdom, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, etc.

The book also addresses the goals of AQ, the ways it plans on conducting "raids" on America, and when those raids are most likely to occur, and how.

I approached the book with the intent to learn, and learn I did. I kept a notepad and pen next to me and noted words that I needed to look up and find the meanings of. I learned a lot of new Arabic words, which is helpful in this understanding. Let me share some new words I learned and their meanings:

UMMAH - community or nation
CALIPHATE - form of govt. inspired by Islam
HEGEMONY- leadership via military power
FATAH - major Palestinian political party
HIJAZ- western part of Saudi Arabia bordering Red Sea
WAHHABI-a very strict version of Isalm named after an 18th century scholar
FATWA- ruling by religious cleric of Islam
ULEMA - educated class of scholar in legal matters
MULLAH- muslim man educated in Islamic theology & sacred law
ISI- Pakistani intelligence service
CHADORS- black robe worn by Muslim women covering head to toe

I highly recommend you get this book and read it ASAP.

There are some excellent reviews posted regarding this book, so I will not duplicate what they have said so well. Allow me to give you a new slant on this book and its author, Bruce Riedel. Not so long ago, President Obama called the author, and asked to come back and work for him in government. His portfolio would be Iraq and Afghanistan. Riedel politely turned him down, "Been there, done that."


The President then asked him if he would be kind enough to come back to the White House on special assignment, and put together a Presidential position paper on Afghanistan including a study of where we are at, and where do we need to go from here. President Obama asked him how long it would take? The response was that it would be ready in a week.


Normally this is a 3 to 6 month project, but Riedel knew immediately what he was going to do. He had already published the book you are reading about, "The Search for Al Qaeda." Riedel would simply take this book, strip it, and update it. What this means is that if you read this book, you are reading the preliminary position paper that was then used for the final paper given to POTUS.


There is no greater compliment you can give a book than to know that the President himself has read it to seek guidance in his decision as to how to proceed with WAR. The book contains 154 pages of narrative with no superfluous material added to lengthen out the story, which is what most authors do. That is what the President had everyone in his administration whose portfolio contains foreign policy to read this book. It's short, to the point, and spot on accurate. The author is not in love with himself as many others are. I have summarized the major thrusts of the The Search for Al Qaeda and distilled into a few topics to give you feel for what you are going to see when you read it.



KEY POINTS BRIEFLY EXPLAINED:


* The purpose of Al Qaeda's raid on September 11, 2001 was to draw America into a quagmire war in Afghanistan that would BLEED America in a fashion similar to what the Soviet Union experienced in the 1980's.


* In the final analysis there was no link between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein, and Iraq. The Iraq invasion took our minds off the real target Al Qaeda which was on the ropes according to Riedel but was then given a reprieve and time to rebuild by the siphoning of resources from Afghanistan to Iraq.


* Prior to 9/11 Pakistan and its intelligence service were responsible for the rise to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Even while working with the United States post 9/11, Pakistan has been secretly supporting both the Taliban and by inference Al Qaeda.


* Pakistan's sole concern is India to the East, and that is why it has developed nuclear weapons. It is imperative in Pakistan's view, that a friendly Taliban be in control in the West in Afghanistan to prevent Pakistan from engaging in a potential two front war with both India to the East and Afghanistan in the West.


* In the eyes of Al Qaeda, Pakistan is central to their struggle. If Pakistan falls into chaos and Al Qaeda sympathizers can take over, then the terrorists will be in possession of the Pakistan nuclear arsenal which is the goal.


* Al Qaeda's hero is Sultan Mohammed the Conqueror, who invaded Constantinople in 1453. This led to the destruction of the Byzantine Empire. In their thinking this ultimately led to the creation of the Jewish state, Israel in Palestine.


* A peace must be worked out between Israel and its neighbors to ultimately end our struggle with terrorism.


CONCLUSION:


Author Bruce Riedel has a long and successful CIA background backed up by numerous trips in the field. He has also sat in the room with several Presidents, and functioned as an advisor to them. This book is the real thing, and if you want to know, and understand our problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan, you need look no further. This is a narrative that you will never read about in the newspapers, or see on television. It's the real thing, and thank you for reading this review.


Richard C. Stoyeck

This was a requested gift for someone else. I do know that the person has marked up this book to remind her of specific passages. She loves it. Has good background information.

Very readable insight into AQ. Found Riedel's style to be a little self-congratulatory, but understandable given the positions he has held over the last two decades. It is a concise book that left me thirty for more info and a longer prologue.

Over a year after publication, this book still provides the clearest overall account of Al Qaeda's global strategy, integrating Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistani operations among others.

Riedel's experience at the CIA and National Security Council shows in his command of details and the confidence with which he writes. This is a balanced, authoritative account of a decade and a half of conflict with Al Qaeda, interspersed with personal anecdotes.

Bruce Riedel was high-placed and gives an authoritative picture of al Qaeda. The footnotes and references are impressive. Perhaps a lower level person, or even an insider, could have provided more intimate details, but this is a very helpful book.