by Peter Bergen
First published 2011
A decade after the September 11 attacks transformed American foreign policy, Peter Bergen examines the evolution of the war on terror across multiple theaters. Bergen documents the conflict from both American and al-Qaeda perspectives, drawing on internal documents from terrorist organizations and U.S. counterterrorism offices. He conducts firsthand interviews with senior jihadists and Washington officials while incorporating his own field experiences in the Middle East. The book traces strategic missteps on both sides, including how al-Qaeda's 9/11 attacks ultimately destroyed their Taliban safe haven in Afghanistan and weakened their influence in the Muslim world. Bergen also critiques American errors, from the Clinton and Bush administrations' failure to properly assess the al-Qaeda threat to the flawed intelligence that drove the Iraq invasion. He examines controversial practices like extraordinary rendition, including the CIA kidnapping of Abu Omar in Milan. The analysis extends through the Obama administration's Afghanistan strategy, offering readers a comprehensive view of this multigenerational conflict.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, multiple-perspectives
Setting: Afghanistan, Middle East, Milan
Period: September 11, Obama Administration
496 pages · Hardcover · Free Press
Content warnings: violence, war