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Crush the Cell: How to Defeat Terrorism Without Terrorizing Ourselves
Written by a man who is arguably the country’s most authoritative voice on counterterrorism, Crush the Cell demolishes, with simple logic, the edifice of false “terror punditry” that has been laid, brick by brick, since 9/11. A veteran of special ops, international diplomacy, and bruising clashes with federal law enforcement agencies, Michael Sheehan delivers in this book a two-part First, that we’ve wasted–and are continuing to waste–billions of dollars on the wrong protective measures, and second, that knowing the bad guys’ next move is paramount.
Somewhere in America, Sheehan maintains, are a number of terrorist cells, their members’ heads filled with schemes of mayhem and destruction. Motivated not, as some believe, by feelings of disenfranchisement, disdain for freedom, or economic envy but by a compelling ideological hatred, these individuals plot not just terror but paralyzing terror–the kind that can shut down a country.
Unwittingly aiding and abetting them are many (but not all) “terror experts” and members of the media who, for reasons that are partly self- serving, rate the bad guys’ capabilities far higher than they are, playing into terrorists’ hands with their hype. Spurred by the pundits’ inflated assessments, legislation follows that drains billions from taxpayers’ pockets and pours money into a bloated Washington bureaucracy championing needless programs.
Here, Sheehan shows why defensive fortresses don’t work, but offensive operational intelligence does. He also peels back the mystery surrounding terrorist cells, portraying them as, typically, a group of bumblers searching for a charismatic leader who has what it takes to conduct a complex symphony of violence. Sharing time in the narrative spotlight are not just agents of al Qaeda, but also frighteningly destructive lone wolves, cults, and radical movements.
In his career, Sheehan has operated in the mountain jungles of Central America, the back alleys of Mogadishu, and the teeming streets of New York City–but he has also participated at the highest levels of policy making at the White House, the State Department, and the United Nations. It’s his time protecting America’s most populous city as its counterterrorism czar, however, that yields this book’s most fascinating insights. As Sheehan reveals thwarted threats to New York’s bridges, subways, and landmarks, and recounts extraordinary simulations staged to gauge terrorists’ true abilities, we gain perhaps the clearest picture yet of what modern terror-fighting is all about.
Somewhere in America, Sheehan maintains, are a number of terrorist cells, their members’ heads filled with schemes of mayhem and destruction. Motivated not, as some believe, by feelings of disenfranchisement, disdain for freedom, or economic envy but by a compelling ideological hatred, these individuals plot not just terror but paralyzing terror–the kind that can shut down a country.
Unwittingly aiding and abetting them are many (but not all) “terror experts” and members of the media who, for reasons that are partly self- serving, rate the bad guys’ capabilities far higher than they are, playing into terrorists’ hands with their hype. Spurred by the pundits’ inflated assessments, legislation follows that drains billions from taxpayers’ pockets and pours money into a bloated Washington bureaucracy championing needless programs.
Here, Sheehan shows why defensive fortresses don’t work, but offensive operational intelligence does. He also peels back the mystery surrounding terrorist cells, portraying them as, typically, a group of bumblers searching for a charismatic leader who has what it takes to conduct a complex symphony of violence. Sharing time in the narrative spotlight are not just agents of al Qaeda, but also frighteningly destructive lone wolves, cults, and radical movements.
In his career, Sheehan has operated in the mountain jungles of Central America, the back alleys of Mogadishu, and the teeming streets of New York City–but he has also participated at the highest levels of policy making at the White House, the State Department, and the United Nations. It’s his time protecting America’s most populous city as its counterterrorism czar, however, that yields this book’s most fascinating insights. As Sheehan reveals thwarted threats to New York’s bridges, subways, and landmarks, and recounts extraordinary simulations staged to gauge terrorists’ true abilities, we gain perhaps the clearest picture yet of what modern terror-fighting is all about.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Sheehan
5 books1 followerMichael A. Sheehan was a former government official including Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank and status of Ambassador-at-Large at the United States Department of State. He was also a former military officer in the infantry and Special Forces. He was a Distinguished Chair at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York and a terrorist analyst for NBC News.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2008
Crush the Cell has practical suggestions by an experienced insider with an impressive resume which, surprisingly, he shares at the back of his book. His analysis of past terrorism incidents focuses on the past fifteen years and is enriched with candid assessments of what worked, what our weaknesses are, what the terrorists' weaknesses are, plus it offers his shrewd assessments at possible dangers. The key to fight terrorism is intelligence, critical for infiltrating terrorist cells and crushing them; Sheehan thinks huge cash outlays for defensive projects are mostly wasted along with overly protective limousine convoys for Washington officials who are not really at risk (a "perk of office" he argues.) Knowing the bad guys next move is paramount. He criticizes inter-agency conflicts, such as between NYPD and FBI and sides with the NYPD, and thinks the Department of Homeland Security is bloated and lacks focus. Agency acronyms abound (WMD, CBRN, JTTF) but there's a helpful glossary in an appendix.
Sheehan relates how terrorism threats can affect voting -- elevating a threat level can give candidates a "security bounce." He criticizes "fear mongering" noting that it's "good business for terrorism consultants." He thinks the threat from Al Qaeda was under-estimated before 9/11, over-estimated afterwards, and notes that there have been no significant attacks in America since 9/11. America's frequent over-reaction to incidents as well as threats often plays into the terrorists' hands; rather, the US should learn from Israel and Britain how to return to business as normal soon after an attack.
There's a subtext here which isn't immediately apparent until one realizes many sentences begin with "I did this..." and "I did that..." Sheehan has been hard at work, kept us safe, and wants appreciation (perhaps this need explains his resume?) Still, I think it's deserved. I think all counter-terrorism officials deserve sincere thanks since there haven't been any major attacks on American soil since 9/11. Sheehan's caring and dedication shine through despite his rather obvious agenda to promote the NYPD as well as his own career.
Does nuclear terrorism remain a threat? Sheehan agrees. But he admits to focusing on "less devastating but more likely scenarios" such as dirty bombs, chemical attacks, biological attacks.
But that's my problem with this book. It doesn't prevent serious terrorism. America, despite the sincere efforts of hard-working operatives like Mr. Sheehan, is still vulnerable.
Experts like Mr. Sheehan see terrorism as essentially a government and military and police problem, and I think that's a mistake. I think the problem of terrorism is bigger -- it's a citizens' problem. We're the ones who suffer when it happens. So citizens need to prevent it. And citizens have wider latitude to act than government officials since we can change the framework in which law enforcement works.
And I disagree about what terrorism is. Sheehan sees terrorism narrowly as politically motivated violence; I think it's broader, namely "violence against individual rights". Begin with my definition and a solution will follow. One can suppose there are three types of terrorists -- criminals (neighbors who violate our rights), tyrants (our own government officials who violate our rights) and foreign terrorists (powerful individuals abroad or heads of state.) All three types of terrorism must be prevented, in my view. It's not enough for government by itself to try to fight terrorism, because in trying to fight terrorism, government may become a terrorist towards its own people. It's a multi-faceted problem, larger but solvable, in my view. We can't try to fight one form of terrorism by exacerbating another. But this happens routinely in airports: to prevent airline hijackings (crime) security guards frisk every passenger without cause (a form of tyranny that passengers put up with despite being treated like criminals.) In his book, Sheehan only touched on issues such as wire-tapping and espionnage on civilians, almost as if it was a nuisance requirement, but this is clearly the mindset of counter-terrorism operatives who pay only lip service to citizens' privacy.
My book "Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism" (Amazon & Kindle, 184 pages) spells out how to prevent each type of terrorism by applying light (information, exposure, awareness.) For example, to prevent crime, we must identify all movement in public while strengthening privacy. For this to happen, citizens must agree to such monitoring, and for this to happen, people must become real citizens, not merely apathetic consumers and shoppers which characterize most Americans today. Citizenship should be a contract between individual and state with specific responsibilities and privileges. It's possible to prevent every instance of home-grown terrorism using this method. The rest of my book shows how one can apply the concept of light to exposing the other types. For example, I think the architecture of government requires an overhaul so that America can make steady long-term foreign policy, consistently rewarding friends and punishing enemies; but today it can't do this because administrations change every eight years, sometimes after only four. I propose a revised architecture based on lessons from history and political philosophy. My strategy will prevent all types of terrorism, including smuggled nuclear bombs. My strategy is brief, rational, non-religious, written by a citizen for citizens, non-technical. Be prepared: there are some controversial ideas (one expert found it "bracing"). But my book can protect America. It's plain logic from one citizen to another, while Mr. Sheehan's book is an expert trying to educate the public about what officials are doing in the war on terror, as well as a not-so-subtle advertisement for the NYPD as well as himself.
Overall, this is an excellent book by a counter-terrorism insider which has fresh, frank observations about the war on terror, including apt political comments, but it doesn't prevent terrorism.
Sheehan relates how terrorism threats can affect voting -- elevating a threat level can give candidates a "security bounce." He criticizes "fear mongering" noting that it's "good business for terrorism consultants." He thinks the threat from Al Qaeda was under-estimated before 9/11, over-estimated afterwards, and notes that there have been no significant attacks in America since 9/11. America's frequent over-reaction to incidents as well as threats often plays into the terrorists' hands; rather, the US should learn from Israel and Britain how to return to business as normal soon after an attack.
There's a subtext here which isn't immediately apparent until one realizes many sentences begin with "I did this..." and "I did that..." Sheehan has been hard at work, kept us safe, and wants appreciation (perhaps this need explains his resume?) Still, I think it's deserved. I think all counter-terrorism officials deserve sincere thanks since there haven't been any major attacks on American soil since 9/11. Sheehan's caring and dedication shine through despite his rather obvious agenda to promote the NYPD as well as his own career.
Does nuclear terrorism remain a threat? Sheehan agrees. But he admits to focusing on "less devastating but more likely scenarios" such as dirty bombs, chemical attacks, biological attacks.
But that's my problem with this book. It doesn't prevent serious terrorism. America, despite the sincere efforts of hard-working operatives like Mr. Sheehan, is still vulnerable.
Experts like Mr. Sheehan see terrorism as essentially a government and military and police problem, and I think that's a mistake. I think the problem of terrorism is bigger -- it's a citizens' problem. We're the ones who suffer when it happens. So citizens need to prevent it. And citizens have wider latitude to act than government officials since we can change the framework in which law enforcement works.
And I disagree about what terrorism is. Sheehan sees terrorism narrowly as politically motivated violence; I think it's broader, namely "violence against individual rights". Begin with my definition and a solution will follow. One can suppose there are three types of terrorists -- criminals (neighbors who violate our rights), tyrants (our own government officials who violate our rights) and foreign terrorists (powerful individuals abroad or heads of state.) All three types of terrorism must be prevented, in my view. It's not enough for government by itself to try to fight terrorism, because in trying to fight terrorism, government may become a terrorist towards its own people. It's a multi-faceted problem, larger but solvable, in my view. We can't try to fight one form of terrorism by exacerbating another. But this happens routinely in airports: to prevent airline hijackings (crime) security guards frisk every passenger without cause (a form of tyranny that passengers put up with despite being treated like criminals.) In his book, Sheehan only touched on issues such as wire-tapping and espionnage on civilians, almost as if it was a nuisance requirement, but this is clearly the mindset of counter-terrorism operatives who pay only lip service to citizens' privacy.
My book "Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism" (Amazon & Kindle, 184 pages) spells out how to prevent each type of terrorism by applying light (information, exposure, awareness.) For example, to prevent crime, we must identify all movement in public while strengthening privacy. For this to happen, citizens must agree to such monitoring, and for this to happen, people must become real citizens, not merely apathetic consumers and shoppers which characterize most Americans today. Citizenship should be a contract between individual and state with specific responsibilities and privileges. It's possible to prevent every instance of home-grown terrorism using this method. The rest of my book shows how one can apply the concept of light to exposing the other types. For example, I think the architecture of government requires an overhaul so that America can make steady long-term foreign policy, consistently rewarding friends and punishing enemies; but today it can't do this because administrations change every eight years, sometimes after only four. I propose a revised architecture based on lessons from history and political philosophy. My strategy will prevent all types of terrorism, including smuggled nuclear bombs. My strategy is brief, rational, non-religious, written by a citizen for citizens, non-technical. Be prepared: there are some controversial ideas (one expert found it "bracing"). But my book can protect America. It's plain logic from one citizen to another, while Mr. Sheehan's book is an expert trying to educate the public about what officials are doing in the war on terror, as well as a not-so-subtle advertisement for the NYPD as well as himself.
Overall, this is an excellent book by a counter-terrorism insider which has fresh, frank observations about the war on terror, including apt political comments, but it doesn't prevent terrorism.
July 6, 2022
See TH Book List for review. But overall, this book was very informative and presented some thought-out ways to handle the threat of terrorism in the 21st century world; it would have been amazing if it was about a 100 pages shorter because there is a bit of repetition.
March 12, 2009
A wealth of practical insight is expressed and explained in this volume by one of America's foremost counter-terrorist experts (who was also a former diplomat, intelligence officer, and a member of the special forces.) I gained insight into why 9-11 was able to occur, and how massive million dollar programs do not secure the safety of America. As well as why fully understanding and becoming knowledgeable about terrorists and the threat they cause, in conjunction, with innovation, flexibility, and experience can decrease the threat caused by terrorism. I also found the author's criticisms of the Department of Homeland Security to be useful, since the author was able to explain why it was dysfunctional from the beginning. A book that contains a abundance of first-hand information and plenty of the author's relevant personal experiences making for a good book on how terrorism effects the west, and the problem can be combated.
December 24, 2008
This book gets off to a great start, that by focusing on the terrorist cells, we could reduce the threat terrorism poses to national security. The author goes off-message about half-way through the book, though, when he begins to tell his own story of working with the New York City police. I think this book is on to something, but the argument isn't made as strongly as it could have been. There's no denying that the author, a seasoned counterterrorist expert, has the knowledge to help our leaders address national security. Worth a read.
October 2, 2008
wow!! so far very interesting. I am learning a lot about what drives these people to kill us as well as themselves. I cannot wait to finish this book but of course I have to work at this book since non fiction does not come easily to me. I am reading it out loud to my husband while we travel and it makes great conversation as well so it will take a while to get through.
I got about half way through. It is good, but just does not hold my attention.
I got about half way through. It is good, but just does not hold my attention.
August 2, 2014
While insightful, Crush The Cell is written in an overly self praising style. Sheehan knows what he is talking about and delivers countless examples to each statement he makes. The author has even placed his resume in the back of the book. I must say it was difficult to complete the book due to the author talking about his own self worth and his credibility in the field. The information is there but filler is something to be worked through.
February 24, 2009
This book takes a good look back at terrorist acts to understand the strengths and weaknesses of terrorist groups.
Unfortunately, the author does not look at the state sponsorship of the attacks on 9/11 as expressed by Laurie Mylroie.
Unfortunately, the author does not look at the state sponsorship of the attacks on 9/11 as expressed by Laurie Mylroie.
May 4, 2011
Sheehan,an experienced counter-terrorism expert, provides a good summary and analysis of the terror issues facing our country, and thoughts on dealing with and minimizing the affects of any potential future attacks.
August 10, 2021
Michael Sheehan claims in the book to have a good many of the answers to our problem in dealing with terrorists. Sounded pretty good as it started, but later on I started to wonder how diligent he had been in vetting his sources.
March 3, 2015
Written by my West Point classmate, Mike Sheehan, it describes the inner workings of terrorist cells worldwide.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews