The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future, Revised edition [Paperback]

Bruce O. Riedel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0815704518 | ISBN-13: 978-0815704515 | Edition: 2nd

"Riedel manages to distill the essence of Al Qaeda in just 150 pages. Among other things, he notes that the Islamic fundamentalists do not hate America's values, only its policies. . . .A starting point for a much-needed debate."
—New York Times Book Review

Al Qaeda is the most dangerous terrorist movement in history. Yet most people in the West know very little about it, or their view is clouded by misperceptions and half truths. This widely acclaimed book fills this gap with a comprehensive analysis of al Qaeda-the origins, leadership, ideology, and strategy of the terrorist network that brought down the Twin Towers and continues to threaten us today.

Bruce Riedel draws on decades of insider experience—he was actually in the White House during the September 11 attacks—in profiling the four most important figures in the al Qaeda movement: Usama bin Laden, ideologue and spokesman Ayman Zawahiri, former leader of al Qaeda in Iraq Abu Musaib al Zarqawi (killed in 2006), and Mullah Omar, its Taliban host. These profiles provide the base from which Riedel delivers a much clearer understanding of al Qaeda and its goals, as well as what must be done to counter and defeat this most dangerous menace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Riedel, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and senior adviser on the Middle East to three past presidents, reviews how al-Qaeda has flourished since the September 11 attacks with �franchises� mushrooming around the world. The author surveys al-Qaeda�s origins, workings and key members and introduces fresh information about the organization�s ideology and future plans. Riedel warns against conflating the war against al-Qaeda with the current war in Iraq (�the president chose to declare war not on al Qaeda, but on 'terrorism,� a concept that he and Vice President Dick Cheney arrived at by confusing 9/11 with Saddam Hussein�s Iraq�) and demonstrates how U.S. actions compound �the public�s ignorance and vulnerability.� He argues that concentrating forces in Iraq has diverted attention and presence from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the hotbeds of jihadist organization, and suggests redirecting the military back to the �badlands� of the Afghan-Pakistan border while offering economic aid to forestall the extremism that thrives in destitute areas. Riedel�s argument in favor of greater U.S. involvement in the Arab-Israeli peace process is persuasive, and his prescriptions are well-evidenced, unfailingly sound and refreshingly sensible.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Riedel manages to distill the essence of al Qaeda in just 150 pages." — New York Times Book Review

"Riedel's argument in favor of greater U.S. involvement in the Arab-Israeli peace process is persuasive, and his prescriptions are well-evidenced, unfailingly sound, and refreshingly sensible." — Publishers Weekly

" The Search for al Qaeda is in parts alarming and in parts reassuring.... In a literature tending towards either the blithe or the fatalistic, Riedel's book stands out." — Financial Times

""[Riedel] understands al Qaeda for what it is: a set of highly effective leaders who have created a compelling narrative (based partly on American missteps in the Muslim world) and a remarkably resilient organizational structure that seduces a small group of young Muslims to destroy in a highly strategic manner." —Eboo Patel, Washington Post "On Faith"

"Provides several sensible recommendations, such as making a renewed effort to settle the festering disputes over Palestine and Kashmir." — The Economist

"The useful information, wide-ranging knowledge, and important insight within this short book are extremely impressive. A reader cannot help thinking that U.S. leaders were well-served by Riedel's analysis throughout his years in government (even in cases where it was not heeded)." — Parameters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press; 2nd edition (March 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815704518
• ISBN-13: 978-0815704515
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Elusive Target October 13, 2008

By Retired Reader

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Are the solutions possible? November 3, 2008

By Reader

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Book March 24, 2010

By Ondine

Format:Paperback

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.