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

by Bruce Riedel

Al Qaeda is the most dangerous terrorist movement in history. Yet most people in the Americas and Europe know very little about it, or their view is clouded by misperceptions and half truths. If the first rule of war is to “know your enemy,” then we have a long way to go. This important 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 is an expert on the Middle East and South Asia, with thirty years of intelligence and policymaking experience. He was actually in the White House Situation Room during the 9/11 attacks, serving as special assistant to the president and National Security Council senior director for Near East Affairs. He draws on this insider experience in profiling the four most important figures in the al Qaeda movement: Osama bin Laden, its creator and charismatic leader; ideologue Ayman Zawahiri, its Egyptian coleader and principal spokesman; Abu Musaib al Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq until his death 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 what must be done to counter it. The Search for al Qaeda reviews how al Qaeda was created and developed, presenting authoritative and chilling background on “The Manhattan Raid,” but Riedel focuses more closely on what has happened to it since that awful day. He outlines al Qaeda’s ultimate goals, which are to drive America out of the Muslim world, to destroy Israel, and to create a jihadist caliphate larger than the Ottoman Empire at its height. The profiles and subsequent analysis reveal the network’s multipronged strategy for accomplishing those goals: • Draw America into “bleeding wars” like the one that drove the Soviets from Afghanistan. • Build a safe haven for al Qaeda in Pakistan. • Develop other “franchises” in the Islamic world that can overthrow pro-American regimes. • Conduct more Western attacks along the lines of 9/11 or the transit bombings in Madrid and London. The book concludes with a strategy for dealing with—and defeating—this most dangerous menace.

Genres: Middle East, Nonfiction, Politics, War, History, Islam, Terrorism

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Bruce Riedel is a senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, part of the Brookings Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence. In addition, Riedel serves as a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy. He retired in 2006 after 30 years of service at the Central Intelligence Agency, including postings overseas. He was a senior advisor on South Asia and the Middle East to the last four presidents of the United States in the staff of the National Security Council at the White House. He was also deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Near East and South Asia at the Pentagon and a senior advisor at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels.

Riedel was a member of President Bill Clinton’s peace process team and negotiated at Camp David and other Arab-Israeli summits and he organized Clinton’s trip to India in 2000. In January 2009, President Barack Obama asked him to chair a review of American policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan, the results of which the president announced in a speech on March 27, 2009.

In 2011, Riedel served as an expert advisor to the prosecution of al Qaeda terrorist Omar Farooq Abdulmutallab in Detroit. In December 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron asked him to brief the United Kingdom’s National Security Council in London on Pakistan.

Riedel is a graduate of Brown (B.A.), Harvard (M.A.), and the Royal College of Defense Studies in London. He has taught at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Johns Hopkins University’s School for Advanced International Studies, and he has been a guest lecturer at Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, and other universities. Riedel is a recipient of the Intelligence Medal of Merit and the Distinguished Intelligence Career Medal.

Reviews

[Osama · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب يوثق نشأة وتطور وأيديولوجية القاعدة.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like a book that does what it says it's going to do. The title lays it all out. This is a succinct overview of the principal leaders of al Qaeda, their goals and how they can be defeated.

Riedel builds the case that to defeat terrorism we can't make a war on the concept of terrorism, but must alleviate the grievances that give rise to it make it a priority to hunt down its leadership. He discusses the issues of concern to the terrorists and their followers and how they have been exacerbated in recent years.

The biographies were excellent because they show how each of the main players developed. The sections on goals and future directions are marvelously clear.

While I follow the news, there was a lot new to me. I had not fully understood the role of Pakistan and how its decisions regarding al Qaeda are fueled by its India dispute. I didn't know how it was that bin Laden went to Afghanistan, nor of the void left there after the defeat of the Russians. I didn't fully understand Zawahiri's ideas on the decline of the Ottoman Empire until Reidel made them clear.

Reidel mentions forgotten (by me) events such as the attempt to fly into the Eiffel Tower and the expulsion of Palestinians from Kuwait and shows their significance. I did not know Zawahiri cut his teeth on the Sadat assassination.

The author makes every sentence work. In this way, a very short book becomes a very meaty gathering of important information.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most concise and accessible 301/401-level material on the topic I have read.

[Eila Mcmillin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has a very interesting exploration of development and motivation of Al Qaeda during the run up to 9/11 and the immediate post-9/11 period. Some of the ideas and framing have aged really well, but it does have a bit of that early-Afghanistan/Iraq War optimism (it's really kind of an innocence or cautious optimism) that has aged less well. Quick and interesting read though.

[John Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading Bob Woodward's "Obama's Wars" I was impressed by his tale regarding a CIA Analyst, Bruce Riedel, who the Obama administration called in for a 60 day review and recommendation for the Afghanistan War. Mr. Riedel is considered one of the most informed men in the intelligence system regarding that part of the world, by many people across the political lines.

I do not typically read such current political, analytical writing. As I am a fan of Bob Woodward, his writing and research skills (not necessarily his political bias), I decided to read some of the people he depended upon for his research concerning "the" biggest threat to civilization as we know it, today.

Bruce Riedel is a riveting writer. Yes, it's a book written by an analyst. It's details. But, it is spellbinding. His style is easy to read. He doesn't repeat and force his opinion upon the reader. He does pour information out in a concise and interesting manner.

If you are interested in the details of the military and political aspects of this extremely current threat then this book is, in my opinion, a must read.

John

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes the development of al Qaeda, the first global terrorist organization. Riedel, who worked for the CIA for thirty years, provides portraits of al Qaeda leaders and supporters: Ayman al Zawahiri, the ideological brains of al Queda; Osama bin Laden, the charismatic warrior chief; Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader who sheltered al Qaeda in Afghanistan; Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq until his death in a U.S. air strike. It’s a tale of endlessly shifting alliances and Riedel relies heavily on members’ words to explain the organization’s ideology, motivations, goals and current strategy. According to Riedel al Quada lured the U.S. into Iraq because they hoped the war there would become a quagmire and bleed the U.S. economically. Riedel contends it is U.S. policy not values that makes al Qaeda hate us, and that brokering an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a necessary first step to defeating the organization. The book is loaded with names, would benefit from some maps, is a bit redundant and difficult to follow.

[Steven Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Reidel has over thirty years of government experience and is a seasoned intelligence officer, and this shows in The Search for al-Qaeda. It is clear that al-Qaeda is a subject he has followed for a long time.

The Search for al-Qaeda highlights three major figures in the Global War on Terrorism: Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then breaks down al-Qaeda's goals and proposes a strategy to defeat them. Throughout, he is critical of foreign policy missteps--most of them made during the Bush era--but these criticisms read as strategic rather than partisan, which is very welcome. Particularly fascinating was the story of al-Zarqawi, who may have been one of radical Islam's greatest soldiers.

Bruce Reidel's book is well-researched. Hindsight is 20/20, and The Search for al-Qaeda are the metaphorical spectacles. While there are certainly more in-depth studies done into al-Qaeda and its affiliates, Reidel's account serves as an excellent introduction to those wanting to learn more about the enemy, as well as a refresher to those already in the know.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great foundation of a look inside the minds of Al Qaeda and really a lot of
Terrorists in the Middle east. It is very descriptive but also explains in a narrative a casual reader can
understand. Although I did read it with a computer handy while looking up people and organizations
described. If you are only going to read a few books on the topic, this is the book I recommend.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a well-written, generally concise look at AQ top leadership. Does not seek to provide minutia but rather shows how the group came together and how larger networks formed from their relationships. Also addresses to a degree the development of AQ's ideology.

[Claire S]

Looks interesting from: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/boo...

[Ray Packham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sound book, written well and very informative. Well worth a read.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a must read for those interested in foreign relations or the Middle East.

[P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and effective summary of AQ by someone who spent decades chasing them. Riedel is substantially less paranoid than Bob Baer and this aids his credibility.

[Melissa Michelle]

It was actually really good. The author referenced another book that I have read before reading this book, which was pretty neat.
The author did a great job in researching and writing about the history of Al Qaeda.