The Search for Al Qaeda

" "Riedel manages to distill the essence of Al Qaeda in just 150 pages. Among other things, he notes that the Islamic fundamentalists do not hate America's values, only its policies.... A starting point for a much-needed debate."" New York Times Book Review

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.

Praise for the hardcover edition

" "Bruce Riedel's" The Search for al Qaeda "is in parts alarming and in parts reassuring. Yes, we need to be worried Riedel argues.... Yet the situation is not hopeless: good policy would ameliorate the problem. In a literature tending towards either the blithe or the fatalistic, Riedel's book stands out.... An extremely valuable primer."" Clive Crook, Financial Times "

"" "A timely book with solid analysis and important policy advice by a former insider about how to more effectively deal with al Qaeda, the broader challenge of extremism, and the core issues in the world's most volatile region. The next administration should read closely."" Robin Wright, author of Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East

" "If you are tired of the same old talking heads blathering on TV about things they don't really know about, this is the book for you. Bruce Riedel is the real expert on al Qaeda."" Leadership Development News