Trapped in the War on Terror [Hardcover]

Ian S. Lustick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

The first principle of terrorism is to understand that the weak win by exploiting the strength of the powerful. When 9/11 terrorists with box cutters hijacked American airliners, they transformed America's preeminent transportation system into a devastating weapon of attack. They also set a trap with the promise of revenge and security as the bait. The hijackers' biggest victory was to goad our government into taking the bait by unleashing the War on Terror. The worry, witch-hunt, and waste that have ensued are, according to Ian S. Lustick, destroying American confidence, undermining our economy, warping our political life, and isolating us from our international allies.

The media have given constant attention to possible terrorist-initiated catastrophes and to the failures and weaknesses of the government's response. Trapped in the War on Terror, however, questions the very rationale for the War on Terror. By analyzing the virtual absence of evidence of a terrorist threat inside the United States along with the motives and strategic purposes of al-Qaeda, Lustick shows how disconnected the War on Terror is from the real but remote threat terrorism poses. He explains how the generalized War on Terror began as part of the justification for invading Iraq, but then took on a life of its own. A whirlwind of fear, failure, and recrimination, this "war" drags every interest group and politician, he argues, into selfish competition for its spoils.

Facing the threat of nuclear incineration during the Cold War, America overcame panic about nonexistent communist sleeper cells poised to destroy the country, a panic fueled by the destructive hysteria of McCarthyism. Through careful analysis of the Soviet threat, the nation managed to sustain a productive national life and achieve victory, despite the terrifying daily possibility of catastrophe. This book is inspired by that success. It points the way forward, not toward victory in the War on Terror but to victory over it. The first and most difficult step toward that victory is to know the enemy. In large measure, as Trapped in the War on Terror shows, that means understanding how al-Qaeda is making us our own worst enemy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An important book. . . . [Ian Lustick] is willing to engage in a critical examination and speaks truths that politicians and pundits run from."—Middle East Policy

"Ian Lustick has written a brave, forceful, and very valuable book. I wish that every politician promising to 'defend' America would read what he has to say. Failing that, the voters should."—James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly

"Ian Lustick's excellent book presents in an engaging and most intelligent manner a point of view that should be far more widely considered. It brings the problem of terrorism, such as it is, back down to earth and deftly skewers the large political, economic, and media industry that has an interest in exaggerating terrorism's effect and in scaring people unnecessarily. I recommend the book highly."—John Mueller, Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University

"A must and timely read for all who worry that we are trapped in a self-defeating strategy. Lustick courageously swims against the within beltway wisdom by raising the question whether the U.S. government treatment of counter-terrorism is worse than the disease itself."—Marc Sageman, author of Understanding Terror Networks

About the Author

Ian S. Lustick is Professor of Political Science, Bess W. Heyman Chair, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of many books and coeditor (with Ann M. Lesch) of Exile and Return: Predicaments of Palestinians and Jews, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812239830
• ISBN-13: 978-0812239836
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,025,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first sensible book on the subject, September 7, 2006

By 

Mark Sumner "Devilstower" (Imperial, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trapped in the War on Terror (Hardcover)

With the "war" generating more harsh rhetoric and more flying spittle by the day, here's the first book that dares to tell the truth: the metaphor doesn't fit. The prosecution of the war on terror makes about as much sense as trying to fight the war on poverty by sending tanks into West Virginia.

Lustick gets past the distortions of the day and gets to the heart of the matter.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inconvenient Truth, February 19, 2007

By 

Micaela De Lignerolles (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trapped in the War on Terror (Hardcover)

Having heard Ian Lustick speak today at Princeton Univrsity I immediately ordered his book (on which the talk was based).
HIs revelations on the subject of the War on Terror are frightening because since 2001 we are led to believe only war and destruction will deliver us from evil.
I hope a lot of smart people will buy this book and spread the word.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well put-together case, December 12, 2006

By 

John Speer (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Trapped in the War on Terror (Hardcover)

I was especially struck by the author's parallels between today's "terrorist" cells and those of 1950's Communists (equally far-fetched). Also appreciated his coverage of the Administration's mixed messages of "there are plotters everywhere" and "don't panic". My only disappointment was that he never touches on the overblown airport security situation (Kabuki as its often called); one could infer that he agrees with that policy, although logically he wouldn't.