Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Terrorists

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In order to determine the severity of any potential threat, that threat needs to be analyzed in terms of the enemy capability and intent, and of the friendly vulnerability. Jessica Stern, in The Ultimate Terrorists, expertly addresses all of these factors in her analysis of WMD terrorism. By doing so, Stern enables the reader to form an educated opinion on this topic. Whether the reader is a national policy maker, academic researcher, military professional, emergency service provider, or simply an American citizen, this book offers valuable analysis of a viable threat to national security. The Ultimate Terrorists is highly recommended for reading.

Jessica Stern has a unique combination of qualifications: experience in the government, where she ran the White House's interagency task force on nuclear smuggling -- and solid credentials in academia, where she has published many articles on terrorism and chemical and nuclear weapons. And she writes extremely well. In my personal opinion, this is simply the best book on the subject.

For those with limited background in terrorism as far as weapons of mass destruction are concerned, this book is a good introduction. Its greatest virtue is how easy to read it is. However, if you can stomach dry writing, I found the Richard Falkenrath book, America's Achilles Heel, far more thorough and informative. If it were a choice between those two books (for reasons of time or money), go with America's Achilles Heel. If you have sufficient time and money, get both.

The Ultimate Terrorists joins other timely publications in providing an assessment of differences between post-Cold War perceived threats and the modern reality of imminent terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction. From the threat of nuclear materials to biological warfare, The Ultimate Terrorists provides chapters which assess the new sources of terrorist activity.

Jessica Stern give the reader a good understanding of the weapons terrorists may use in the future. She does a good job of explaining the differences between chemical and biological weapons and does a great job presenting the problem of "loose nukes" in the former Soviet Union.

This book must be one of the easiest books to read and understand on the subject. Sageman's book is great and Hoffman is excellent, but to me, this book was the best! The others go over terrorist inception much more, but Stern is more interested in the WMD proliferation. If there was ever a terrorist book that one could curl up to near a fireplace, this is it.

This book was well worthwhile. I am pleased that Amazon
had it in stock, and shipped it right out. I am a graduate
student and I needed this book in a fast manner so I could
read it and then report on it.

Amazon was very accommodating to me. I certainly will use
this source in the future. Thank You.

Not to be missed! Well documented and well written, Stern's informative, thought-provoking book is a must for students of public policy.

I know Jessica personally. I think she did a great job. It is a well-written and informative book.

It is an interesting testament on the nature of human beings that even intellectuals in the west continue to relate only HALF the story in this terrorism equation. Terrorism is abhorrent, no doubt, but people like Dr, Stern know full well that the west is not wholly the victim here.

A considerable number of people in the east and south have and continue to suffer from terrorism sponsored and supported in western capitals. The examples are manifold, and they should be mentioned and condemned also, if only for completeness.