What do you think?
Rate this book
The Next Wave: On the Hunt for Al Qaeda's American Recruits
TERROR WALKS AMONG US. Born here, raised here, plotting here, the terrorists of al Qaeda 2.0 aim to kill Americans. And our government helps.
Who are the recruits for the next wave? They live next door.
A radicalized army major guns down forty-five, killing twelve soldiers and one civilian; an airport shuttle-bus driver plots a subway slaughter; a legal immigrant tries to blow up Times Square while another fanatic hopes to kill hundreds at a Christmas tree–lighting ceremony . . . and a radical Muslim born in New Mexico has a legion of fanatics in his web.
The Next Wave reveals the shocking story of how that blood-crazed American, Anwar al-Awlaki—now hiding in Yemen—was treated to Pentagon pomp as a “moderate Muslim,” and how our Justice Department hid his movements from the 9/11 Commission . . . even though al-Awlaki aided the 9/11 hijackers.
The terrorists next door turn our tech against us, exploiting Facebook, Skype, and our outdated laws. Online terror recruiters are one of the Web’s greatest success stories—yet our government refuses to stop them. Activists howl about “inhuman” conditions at Guantánamo—while pampered inmates laugh at our weaknesses.
The next wave of deadly terror is here and now. Washington shuts its eyes. And the next massacre in the name of Islam will be “Made in the U.S.A.”
Who are the recruits for the next wave? They live next door.
A radicalized army major guns down forty-five, killing twelve soldiers and one civilian; an airport shuttle-bus driver plots a subway slaughter; a legal immigrant tries to blow up Times Square while another fanatic hopes to kill hundreds at a Christmas tree–lighting ceremony . . . and a radical Muslim born in New Mexico has a legion of fanatics in his web.
The Next Wave reveals the shocking story of how that blood-crazed American, Anwar al-Awlaki—now hiding in Yemen—was treated to Pentagon pomp as a “moderate Muslim,” and how our Justice Department hid his movements from the 9/11 Commission . . . even though al-Awlaki aided the 9/11 hijackers.
The terrorists next door turn our tech against us, exploiting Facebook, Skype, and our outdated laws. Online terror recruiters are one of the Web’s greatest success stories—yet our government refuses to stop them. Activists howl about “inhuman” conditions at Guantánamo—while pampered inmates laugh at our weaknesses.
The next wave of deadly terror is here and now. Washington shuts its eyes. And the next massacre in the name of Islam will be “Made in the U.S.A.”
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2011
9 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 30, 2011
This is a vital and timely book that tells of the current state of the Qaeda terrorist threat to America. Catherine Herridge does a tremendous job of investigative reporting on America's current Public Enemy #1 Anwar al-Awlaki, the evolution of al-Qaeda since 9/11, and the government's on-the-ground response to it. The book is short (227 pages, plus notes, index, etc.) and is easy to read in one sense, although the level of detail and the many Arabic-named characters means the reader has to pay close attention.
Herridge's central theme is that al-Qaeda attacks will continue. They will likely increase in number and for the most part will be relatively small scale like the Ft. Hood shootings, the Arkansas recruiting center shootings, and the Times Square car bomber, as opposed to large scale coordinated attacks like those on 9/11. Primarily they will be carried out by radicalized American citizens or long-term American residents. Because al-Qaeda's use of the Internet, recruits no longer need to go to Yemen, Somalia, or another Middle Eastern locale to get their training and indoctrination. Many of the home-grown terrorists will be self-selected, like Major Hasan, who find the radical Islamic message at first appealing and then compelling.
Many planned attacks will be averted or thwarted, either through our good luck, through ineptitude of the amateur terrorists, or through the efforts of law enforcement and of alert citizens. (A good example of the latter is the July 27, 2011, arrest of Pfc. Nasar Abdo in Killeen TX who appears to have been planning an attack in the Ft. Hood area.) Some attacks will succeed. Also, some al-Qaeda franchises will still attempt a large scale, coordinated attack.
Most of the terrorists are relentless and committed. They have a different mind-set than we do. In some ways they are like the Charles Manson family gone global. You can't win them over by playing nice. They can't be flipped or rehabilitated.
I really wanted to give The Next Wave five stars. In fact, I just looked back at some other books I gave 5 stars to as a comparison. The subject matter here is much more difficult to cover than that of Rawhide Down (about the Reagan assassination attempt) and Righteous Indignation (Andrew Breitbart's autobiography and call to action), both of which I recently gave 5 stars to. As such, I realize I am setting the bar a lot higher for Mrs. Herridge. For that, Catherine, I apologize. Her investigative work is excellent and the topic is vital. Despite Herridge's best efforts to construct the narrative, the story is inherently confusing and by necessity is incomplete as it continues to unfold. I would have liked to see a summary chapter to repeat and reinforce the key conclusions and to make more explicit recommendations: what can the reader do and what should the government do? Herridge is great at retaining her reporter's objectivity. Nonetheless, I would have liked to see intelligent conjecture, clearly labeled as such, in an attempt to explain some of the mystifying events she uncovered. Also, the book would have benefited by the use of visual aids, for example, a chart to show the relationship connections among the bad guys, or a timeline to consolidate the multiple threads of the story.
Nonetheless, in my opinion, this is a solid 4 or 4 1/2 star book. Read it soon and have a much better understanding of what we are in for.
Herridge's central theme is that al-Qaeda attacks will continue. They will likely increase in number and for the most part will be relatively small scale like the Ft. Hood shootings, the Arkansas recruiting center shootings, and the Times Square car bomber, as opposed to large scale coordinated attacks like those on 9/11. Primarily they will be carried out by radicalized American citizens or long-term American residents. Because al-Qaeda's use of the Internet, recruits no longer need to go to Yemen, Somalia, or another Middle Eastern locale to get their training and indoctrination. Many of the home-grown terrorists will be self-selected, like Major Hasan, who find the radical Islamic message at first appealing and then compelling.
Many planned attacks will be averted or thwarted, either through our good luck, through ineptitude of the amateur terrorists, or through the efforts of law enforcement and of alert citizens. (A good example of the latter is the July 27, 2011, arrest of Pfc. Nasar Abdo in Killeen TX who appears to have been planning an attack in the Ft. Hood area.) Some attacks will succeed. Also, some al-Qaeda franchises will still attempt a large scale, coordinated attack.
Most of the terrorists are relentless and committed. They have a different mind-set than we do. In some ways they are like the Charles Manson family gone global. You can't win them over by playing nice. They can't be flipped or rehabilitated.
I really wanted to give The Next Wave five stars. In fact, I just looked back at some other books I gave 5 stars to as a comparison. The subject matter here is much more difficult to cover than that of Rawhide Down (about the Reagan assassination attempt) and Righteous Indignation (Andrew Breitbart's autobiography and call to action), both of which I recently gave 5 stars to. As such, I realize I am setting the bar a lot higher for Mrs. Herridge. For that, Catherine, I apologize. Her investigative work is excellent and the topic is vital. Despite Herridge's best efforts to construct the narrative, the story is inherently confusing and by necessity is incomplete as it continues to unfold. I would have liked to see a summary chapter to repeat and reinforce the key conclusions and to make more explicit recommendations: what can the reader do and what should the government do? Herridge is great at retaining her reporter's objectivity. Nonetheless, I would have liked to see intelligent conjecture, clearly labeled as such, in an attempt to explain some of the mystifying events she uncovered. Also, the book would have benefited by the use of visual aids, for example, a chart to show the relationship connections among the bad guys, or a timeline to consolidate the multiple threads of the story.
Nonetheless, in my opinion, this is a solid 4 or 4 1/2 star book. Read it soon and have a much better understanding of what we are in for.
April 8, 2012
Reporter's story about deals that are struck with no sense of morals.
June 13, 2016
This book (2011) already feels slightly outdated, but there is still plenty of useful information to learn from here.
October 3, 2018
This title was informative and interesting. If you follow any of my reviews then you are surely awaiting the "but." ...Okay, so but it has some drawbacks, most of which are related to style rather than form.
This being said, it does have a saving grace with several interesting and insightful contributions to the understanding of terrorism. Similar to a theory I have myself developed in my own research The researchers at Fox investigative reporting also deduced a connection between thwarted and repressed libidos and the externalization of terrorist violence. This is an area that I personally feel has been largely overlooked and neglected by research on terrorism and its psycho-social developmental component. (p. 23 delves into this phenomenon). Page 61 goes into better detail on this phenomenon.
Also noteworthy is a very informative coverage of the so-called charismatic Imam Aulaqi (varied spellings, this one the officialese form).
Some of the most probing points can be found as follows:
p.50 Obama's ineffective vacillation in the face of terrorism and his endless doublespeak
p.51 Democracy by deceit versus democracy by destruction (interesting comment).
p.52 deals with the psychodynamics and the radicalization process.
see also P.63 for a more extensive discussion.
P.54 clearly lays out the ruthless manipulation of Awlaki, his use of others to carry out his nefarious deeds of this ignoble coward.
P.121 discussion of counter-messaging as a strategic approach to combatting propaganda.
There appears to be a reversed timeline sequence between pp. 96 and 122 which lends added confusion to following the sequence of events.
P.172 contains very loaded language
PP.180-181 relates to Muslim deaths and the narcissism of Awlaki
The low point of the book is the author's vainglorious expression of her imagined cleverness and superior wit while facing the authorities at Guantanamo detention facility. This segment of the book detracts from an otherwise good piece of unbiased writing. In her sublime arrogance, she makes judgements calls on issues she is entirely unqualified to evaluate. The sections from pp. 160 - 164 are quite frankly so full of gratuitous self-esteem that they are borderline nauseating. Creepy.
Conclusion. except for the author's forays into delusional self-worship, the rest of the work is exceptional. I'd recommend it with this one caveat, albeit an important one.
Recommendation: Consume with moderation.
This being said, it does have a saving grace with several interesting and insightful contributions to the understanding of terrorism. Similar to a theory I have myself developed in my own research The researchers at Fox investigative reporting also deduced a connection between thwarted and repressed libidos and the externalization of terrorist violence. This is an area that I personally feel has been largely overlooked and neglected by research on terrorism and its psycho-social developmental component. (p. 23 delves into this phenomenon). Page 61 goes into better detail on this phenomenon.
Also noteworthy is a very informative coverage of the so-called charismatic Imam Aulaqi (varied spellings, this one the officialese form).
Some of the most probing points can be found as follows:
p.50 Obama's ineffective vacillation in the face of terrorism and his endless doublespeak
p.51 Democracy by deceit versus democracy by destruction (interesting comment).
p.52 deals with the psychodynamics and the radicalization process.
see also P.63 for a more extensive discussion.
P.54 clearly lays out the ruthless manipulation of Awlaki, his use of others to carry out his nefarious deeds of this ignoble coward.
P.121 discussion of counter-messaging as a strategic approach to combatting propaganda.
There appears to be a reversed timeline sequence between pp. 96 and 122 which lends added confusion to following the sequence of events.
P.172 contains very loaded language
PP.180-181 relates to Muslim deaths and the narcissism of Awlaki
The low point of the book is the author's vainglorious expression of her imagined cleverness and superior wit while facing the authorities at Guantanamo detention facility. This segment of the book detracts from an otherwise good piece of unbiased writing. In her sublime arrogance, she makes judgements calls on issues she is entirely unqualified to evaluate. The sections from pp. 160 - 164 are quite frankly so full of gratuitous self-esteem that they are borderline nauseating. Creepy.
Conclusion. except for the author's forays into delusional self-worship, the rest of the work is exceptional. I'd recommend it with this one caveat, albeit an important one.
Recommendation: Consume with moderation.
August 21, 2012
Hooboy, this book will scare the heebeegeebees out of you. I'd give it a three but the narrative is sometimes too detailed. But any less narrative and the stories might be as believable. No matter, it's a critical looks at the complex challenge faced by our law inforcement and department of defense. The war on terrorism is real, it's here, and it's not going away. Our government is getting this right. Proof of that is the lack of any serious attach since 9/11. Can the government be more efficient? Probably, but be thankful for what is being done. Readers will have a new appreciation for law enforcement after reading this book.
September 9, 2011
Very interesting book on the current situation we are facing here in America. Catherine Herridge does an excellent job of bringing up examples of terrorist activity, how these people worked and how they were stopped or unfortunately missed. Her book shows the transition of Al Qaeda's strategy and the threats we will have to face in the future. An excellent book, but I had to give four stars due to the lack of a chronological order, which made certain part rather confusing. Otherwise, I highly recommend it!
August 11, 2014
This is not a book I would recommend to anyone who wishes to sleep at night. Catherine Herridge is a journalist, and this book takes you deep into her research regarding American citizens involved with Al Qaeda. Mrs. Herridge is not shy about giving her opinion, and if you want to know how 9/11 could have happened and what other horrors may be in store for our nation, this is the book to read.
August 31, 2011
Very good.
February 16, 2013
Good read, focused mainly on the detroit underwear bomber as well as the cleric anwar al awlaki
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews