The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future (Paperback)

Bruce Riedel (author)

£20.95

Paperback 224 Pages / Published: 28/02/2010

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Synopsis

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.

Publisher: Brookings Institution
ISBN: 9780815704515
Number of pages: 224
Weight: 281 g
Dimensions: 229 x 152 x 13 mm
Edition: 2nd Revised edition

MEDIA REVIEWS

"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