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The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for Getting It Right
The authors of the bestseller The Age of Sacred Terror show how the United States is losing the war on terror and what we need to do if we're serious about winning it.
We are losing. Four years and two wars after September 11, 2001, the United States is no closer to victory in the "war on terror." In fact, we are unwittingly clearing the way for the next attack.
In this provocative new book, Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon show how the terrorist threat is evolving, with a broadening array of tactics, an army of new fighters and, most ominously, a widening base of support in the global Muslim community. The jihadist movement has been galvanized by the example of 9/11 and the missteps of the U.S. government, which has consistently failed to understand the nature of the new terror. Left on this trajectory, much worse faces us in the near future.
It doesn't have to be this way. The Next Attack makes the case that America has the capacity to stem the tide of Islamic terrorism, but Benjamin and Simon caution that this will require a far-reaching and creative new strategy, one that recognizes that the struggle has been over-militarized and that a campaign for reform must be more than rhetoric and less than bayonets. And they point out how America's increasing tendency to frame the conflict in religious terms has undermined our ability to advance our interests.
Is America is truly equipped to do what is necessary to combat Islamist terrorism, or are we too blinded by our own ideology? The answer to that question will determine how secure we will truly be, in the years and decades to come.
We are losing. Four years and two wars after September 11, 2001, the United States is no closer to victory in the "war on terror." In fact, we are unwittingly clearing the way for the next attack.
In this provocative new book, Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon show how the terrorist threat is evolving, with a broadening array of tactics, an army of new fighters and, most ominously, a widening base of support in the global Muslim community. The jihadist movement has been galvanized by the example of 9/11 and the missteps of the U.S. government, which has consistently failed to understand the nature of the new terror. Left on this trajectory, much worse faces us in the near future.
It doesn't have to be this way. The Next Attack makes the case that America has the capacity to stem the tide of Islamic terrorism, but Benjamin and Simon caution that this will require a far-reaching and creative new strategy, one that recognizes that the struggle has been over-militarized and that a campaign for reform must be more than rhetoric and less than bayonets. And they point out how America's increasing tendency to frame the conflict in religious terms has undermined our ability to advance our interests.
Is America is truly equipped to do what is necessary to combat Islamist terrorism, or are we too blinded by our own ideology? The answer to that question will determine how secure we will truly be, in the years and decades to come.
472 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 15, 2014
I wonder if this book would have been shocking and eye-opening had I read it in 2005. It's hard to think back to what I knew then and what we have learned since then, so this book is less useful than it might have been back then. Much of it is spent lamenting things about the war on terror that have become common knowledge, many of which are no longer relevant.
The parts about the Iraq War were similar but it was interesting to read in the face of the recent happenings with ISIS. I was frustrated to read just how much that war shouldn't have happened in the first place, though, based on the way the administration went about putting its plans together and the lack of consultation with various departments on a perpetual basis.
The plan for how to do it right was sorely lacking, however, because it was far too general to be of any use. To say we shouldn't have gone into Iraq isn't very helpful. To say we should be considering other avenues of defense and offense is too generic. The concern over the threat in Europe seems a little trumped up based on how things have played out in the intervening years, but it's possible things are still fomenting and this is just an area I know less about.
One thing that was eye-opening and horrifying to me was the final chapter about religion and the strands of Christianity that are impacting the war on terror and, according to the authors, turning it into a religious war. Even moving past that seemingly extreme view, they go on to talk about Christians who support Israel wholeheartedly because of their view of its necessity and premonition of the second coming of Christ. I had no idea that this belief was out there, nor that it is so strongly influencing U.S. policy, in addition to the other ties to Israel. This was the scariest part of the book, in my opinion, and simply no suggestions were offered as to how to dissipate this threat to our national security.
The parts about the Iraq War were similar but it was interesting to read in the face of the recent happenings with ISIS. I was frustrated to read just how much that war shouldn't have happened in the first place, though, based on the way the administration went about putting its plans together and the lack of consultation with various departments on a perpetual basis.
The plan for how to do it right was sorely lacking, however, because it was far too general to be of any use. To say we shouldn't have gone into Iraq isn't very helpful. To say we should be considering other avenues of defense and offense is too generic. The concern over the threat in Europe seems a little trumped up based on how things have played out in the intervening years, but it's possible things are still fomenting and this is just an area I know less about.
One thing that was eye-opening and horrifying to me was the final chapter about religion and the strands of Christianity that are impacting the war on terror and, according to the authors, turning it into a religious war. Even moving past that seemingly extreme view, they go on to talk about Christians who support Israel wholeheartedly because of their view of its necessity and premonition of the second coming of Christ. I had no idea that this belief was out there, nor that it is so strongly influencing U.S. policy, in addition to the other ties to Israel. This was the scariest part of the book, in my opinion, and simply no suggestions were offered as to how to dissipate this threat to our national security.
September 28, 2011
The Next Attack by Daniel Benjamin and Steve Simon show how the terrorist threat has evolved since 9/11, and where the foreign policy decisions have put us in relation to the ongoing terrorist threats. The biased trail of decisions that led up to the invasion of Iraq is astounding really-that a clique of appointed officials could ignore experts and work against people in their own government to bring about a costly and unjustified war. I think they are also particularly good when it comes to analyzing terrorist acts that have taken place outside the US since 9/11 and what they say about the spread of these terrorist activities and attitudes. Finally, they makes suggestions on how to prevent/prepare for another terrorist attack. Frankly, some of the scenarios they make might be instructive to any terrorist who might be reading this book. It is interesting to note that the war on terror might be moving in a new direction in light of the elections and the firing of Rumsfield. But I don't think we're going to see too many major foreign policy changes until the Bush administration is out of power. It is a well researched and provocative book, too bad no one who is in a position to make policy changes would consider what has been proposed here.
December 27, 2014
It is a great book on what needed to be done to fight the war on terrorism. Most of the book I believe is still relevant today. The author's point out the mistakes the Bush Administration had instilling policy and other things. How the war in Iraq was a mistake and using terrorism to push for the war has cost the United States in the end. I do agree with the book and its ideas. This is a must read for anyone interested in terrorism and U.S. policy.
September 20, 2007
How the Bushies blew it after 9/11, by two guys who worked on the National Security Council under Clinton. Very good and very scary.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews