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Counterattack: The West’s Battle Against the Terrorists
This was the first book to be released to the general public that reveals in detail how the Western democracies are beginning to win the war against international terrorism. Chapter by chapter it describes and analyzes dozens of operations from Entebbe to the siege of the Iraniafi embassy in London — often disclosing important new information for the first time. But Counterattack includes much more than just spell-binding stories of specific operations; the authors describe exactly how special counter-terrorist units are organized, trained, armed, controlled and led. Written by two journalists who have covered terrorism for the last 15 years, this is a vital and fascinating book for anyone who wants to understand the secret struggle behind the headlines in the war between governments and the terrorists. Here is just a sampling of what you’ll discover in Why, in an ironic coincidence, the toughest, most secret and most effective anti-terrorist unit of the British Army in Northern Ireland consists largely of Roman Catholics. What the “Three T System” of the Los Angeles Polic SWAT team stands for. That West Germany’s GSG9 unit always has some of its recruits trained in the fine points of being airline stewards in order to deceive hijackers in an emergency. The twenty-five basic skills recruits must master before joining the American Blue Light anti-terrorist force. Why so many of the West’s anti-terrorist forces rely on .22 Berettas. That the movements of all Europe’s known terrorist suspects are constantly tracked by a computer at Weisbaden, West Germany containing over 10 million pages of information — an operation that costs some $50 million per year. The tide has finally turned in the international battle between terrorism and democracy. For more than a decade, the terrorists held the initiative, exploiting the unpreparedness and the tolerance of the Western democracies in an attempt to destroy the very values and institutions that shielded them. Meanwhile, invisible to all but a few observers, the West was gradually mobilizing its forces for a counterattack. The full international scope of this mobilization is disclosed for the first time by Christopher Dobson and Ronald Payne in The West’s Battle Against the Terrorists. With more than 25 years of combined experience in reporting on terrorism, these two journalists were ideally positioned to follow the increasingly effective Western response to the terrorist threat. In this revealing book they describe in precise detail how the Western democracies have put the terrorists on the defensive — without the repression the terrorists were so anxious to provoke. Country by country, the authors explain the evolution of the anti-terrorist forces. You’ll learn everything that can safely be revealed about these elite cadres and how they are protecting us — their training, tactics, armaments, leadership and operations. For anyone who is angered, frightened or discouraged by senseless terrorist violence, Counterattack is an exciting and heartening the terrorists may not be crushed, but at last they are on the run. Christopher Dobson and Ronald Payne have between them more than 40 years of experience as foreign correspondents.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2016
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August 15, 2016
A book for all who are interested in the changing nature of terrorism and an education for any who think terrorism is a recent phenomenon.
This book was first published in 1982 and serves to remind us of the changing face of terrorism in little more than a generation. Much has occurred since then of seismic significance to radically alter the nature, face and reach of terrorism. Not least 9/11, the advent of the suicide bomber and the birth of the internet.
Terrorism can now rather crudely be categorised as either of Nationalist or Faith origin .
The pursuit of several ill-thought through wars by the West following 9/11, leaving power vacuums behind, has thrown fuel on the fire: resulting in what appears to be almost daily attacks by terrorists against the West. The advent of the Internet and, with it related social media, is increasingly used to plan and coordinate attacks. But that is not the only danger to the security of the West: there is growing evidence of Government sponsored hacking of Western Databases for malicious objectives by Eastern countries.
We would be naive to set aside the lessons that history can teach us, for although the terrorist war, against Western targets in particular, are now mainly seen as linked to the so-called ISIS State, some truths still hold true. The East, and Russia in particular, still pose a threat to the West despite the end of the Cold War. The KGB are still around, it is only the name that has changed.
Back in 1982 who could have foreseen the suicide bombers who now plague our sense of security: willing to kill and die for the cause of Fundamentalist Islam. Such bombers are regularly recruited amongst disaffected Westerners and promised a place on the Seventh Floor of Heaven in giving their lives for the cause of Islam. Since an ordinary Muslim only joins at the Ground floor, the attraction may be tempting for those who are "radicalised".
The rules have changed. During "The Troubles" the IRA chose targets, usually ensuring that they themselves survived. Except if the bomb they planted was faulty. And it often was. Advance warning was usually given to reduce civilian casualties. Now civilians are the targets and no warning is given.
As the authors of this book contend, governments require international intelligence units which are well funded, focussed and streamlined. That fact holds as true today as it did in 1982. This book re-enforces the necessity for such investment.
It has to be recognised that intelligence gathering does have its limits. A "terrorist" working alone is highly unlikely to be spotted. Recent attacks in France of such a nature have proved singularly successful. The "terrorist" pre-records a video, dedicates his "terrorist" act to a cause, then sets out to kill as many civilian targets as possible. Such acts are not really terrorist attacks at all. They are the work of the deranged or mentally imbalanced.
We now live in an advanced technological era which terrorists use to their advantage, albeit that their objectives may be different. News Reports flash across TV and PC monitors instantly. Victims which are thousands of miles away appear ever so much closer in our shrinking globalised world. Terrorists are guaranteed instant and worldwide publicity for each attack. The aim is to undermine the Democracies of Western Europe.
It seems ironic that the Fundamentalist terrorists whose proclaimed ambition is to bring an end to the "materially" obsessed West, use that same technology to maim and kill. The West may, some have argued, be fighting for its very survival. Part or rather the main defence against attack now is the same as it was in 1982: intelligence. Already we see that recognised certainly in the UK and USA by increased electronic intelligence funding. But, as in 1982, not all western governments have so invested. They may come to regret that.
As the authors quite rightly contend, civil liberties taken for granted, need to be restricted. By stealth that has already happened as is demonstrated by airport security checks. It is a little known fact that, in the UK, our government monitors the movement of its civilians abroad. Such is the price payable to stand any chance of winning the war on terror. It has to be added that such security checks are more to give the traveller peace of mind i.e. visual security more than real security. A terrorist attack can only be thwarted in advance by intelligence. Or in the case of Glasgow Airport the choice of a bad target where the public intervened and effectively made civilian arrests. (That was after the perpetrators were given a sample of Glaswegian generosity in the form of a multitude of Glasgow Kisses. The one terrorist who the police rescued survived for only a few days. The media found it odd that the terrorist, suffering almost 100% third degree burns, was cared for not in a Hospital Burns Unit but had to wait his turn in the A&E queue for three days. That is what can happen if you pick a hard target.)There has only been one almost successful bomb attack since 9/11. That was the shoe-bomber. No attacks have ever been stopped as the result of airport security. If the terrorist gets to the security gate rest assured he will get through. And intelligence will have failed.
The book provides us with a backdrop to the mindset of terror. Who would have envisaged in 1982 the frequency and nature of the terrorist attacks we now face.
I found the book informative, well structured and still relevant (given its age) and written in an easily read style. A book whose timely release serves to re-enforce the main conclusion that it is only through intelligence gathering that we can aim to reduce the number of State or Faith attacks on the West. An excellent book.
NB This review is of an electronic proof copy provided by the publisher and has not influenced my review of this book.
This book was first published in 1982 and serves to remind us of the changing face of terrorism in little more than a generation. Much has occurred since then of seismic significance to radically alter the nature, face and reach of terrorism. Not least 9/11, the advent of the suicide bomber and the birth of the internet.
Terrorism can now rather crudely be categorised as either of Nationalist or Faith origin .
The pursuit of several ill-thought through wars by the West following 9/11, leaving power vacuums behind, has thrown fuel on the fire: resulting in what appears to be almost daily attacks by terrorists against the West. The advent of the Internet and, with it related social media, is increasingly used to plan and coordinate attacks. But that is not the only danger to the security of the West: there is growing evidence of Government sponsored hacking of Western Databases for malicious objectives by Eastern countries.
We would be naive to set aside the lessons that history can teach us, for although the terrorist war, against Western targets in particular, are now mainly seen as linked to the so-called ISIS State, some truths still hold true. The East, and Russia in particular, still pose a threat to the West despite the end of the Cold War. The KGB are still around, it is only the name that has changed.
Back in 1982 who could have foreseen the suicide bombers who now plague our sense of security: willing to kill and die for the cause of Fundamentalist Islam. Such bombers are regularly recruited amongst disaffected Westerners and promised a place on the Seventh Floor of Heaven in giving their lives for the cause of Islam. Since an ordinary Muslim only joins at the Ground floor, the attraction may be tempting for those who are "radicalised".
The rules have changed. During "The Troubles" the IRA chose targets, usually ensuring that they themselves survived. Except if the bomb they planted was faulty. And it often was. Advance warning was usually given to reduce civilian casualties. Now civilians are the targets and no warning is given.
As the authors of this book contend, governments require international intelligence units which are well funded, focussed and streamlined. That fact holds as true today as it did in 1982. This book re-enforces the necessity for such investment.
It has to be recognised that intelligence gathering does have its limits. A "terrorist" working alone is highly unlikely to be spotted. Recent attacks in France of such a nature have proved singularly successful. The "terrorist" pre-records a video, dedicates his "terrorist" act to a cause, then sets out to kill as many civilian targets as possible. Such acts are not really terrorist attacks at all. They are the work of the deranged or mentally imbalanced.
We now live in an advanced technological era which terrorists use to their advantage, albeit that their objectives may be different. News Reports flash across TV and PC monitors instantly. Victims which are thousands of miles away appear ever so much closer in our shrinking globalised world. Terrorists are guaranteed instant and worldwide publicity for each attack. The aim is to undermine the Democracies of Western Europe.
It seems ironic that the Fundamentalist terrorists whose proclaimed ambition is to bring an end to the "materially" obsessed West, use that same technology to maim and kill. The West may, some have argued, be fighting for its very survival. Part or rather the main defence against attack now is the same as it was in 1982: intelligence. Already we see that recognised certainly in the UK and USA by increased electronic intelligence funding. But, as in 1982, not all western governments have so invested. They may come to regret that.
As the authors quite rightly contend, civil liberties taken for granted, need to be restricted. By stealth that has already happened as is demonstrated by airport security checks. It is a little known fact that, in the UK, our government monitors the movement of its civilians abroad. Such is the price payable to stand any chance of winning the war on terror. It has to be added that such security checks are more to give the traveller peace of mind i.e. visual security more than real security. A terrorist attack can only be thwarted in advance by intelligence. Or in the case of Glasgow Airport the choice of a bad target where the public intervened and effectively made civilian arrests. (That was after the perpetrators were given a sample of Glaswegian generosity in the form of a multitude of Glasgow Kisses. The one terrorist who the police rescued survived for only a few days. The media found it odd that the terrorist, suffering almost 100% third degree burns, was cared for not in a Hospital Burns Unit but had to wait his turn in the A&E queue for three days. That is what can happen if you pick a hard target.)There has only been one almost successful bomb attack since 9/11. That was the shoe-bomber. No attacks have ever been stopped as the result of airport security. If the terrorist gets to the security gate rest assured he will get through. And intelligence will have failed.
The book provides us with a backdrop to the mindset of terror. Who would have envisaged in 1982 the frequency and nature of the terrorist attacks we now face.
I found the book informative, well structured and still relevant (given its age) and written in an easily read style. A book whose timely release serves to re-enforce the main conclusion that it is only through intelligence gathering that we can aim to reduce the number of State or Faith attacks on the West. An excellent book.
NB This review is of an electronic proof copy provided by the publisher and has not influenced my review of this book.
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