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Osama Bin Laden Hardcover – February 17, 2011
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In this book, Scheuer provides a much-needed corrective--a hard-headed, closely reasoned portrait of bin Laden, showing him to be a figure of remarkable leadership skills, strategic genius, and considerable rhetorical abilities. The first head of the CIA's bin Laden Unit, where he led the effort to track down bin Laden, Scheuer draws from a wealth of information about bin Laden and his evolution from peaceful Saudi dissident to America's Most Wanted. Shedding light on his development as a theologian, media manipulator, and paramilitary commander, Scheuer makes use of all the speeches and interviews bin Laden has given as well as lengthy interviews, testimony, and previously untranslated documents written by those who grew up with bin Laden in Saudi Arabia, served as his bodyguards and drivers, and fought alongside him against the Soviets. The bin Laden who emerges from these accounts is devout, talented, patient, and ruthless; in other words, a truly formidable and implacable enemy
of the West.
Acclaim for Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terrorism
"Pulls few punches...a fascinating window on America's war with Al Qaeda."
--Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
"No serious observer of the war on terrorism can ignore this scathing critique."
--Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc.
"A powerful, persuasive analysis of the terrorist threat and the Bush administration's failed efforts to fight it."
--Richard A. Clarke, Washington Post Book World
"A fire-breathing denunciation of U.S. counterterrorism policy."
--Julian Borger, The Guardian
"Presents overwhelmingly persuasive evidence to buttress a host of significant and controversial arguments."
--Benjamin Schwarz, Atlantic Monthly
"Destined to become a classic in the field of counterterrorism analysis."
--Bruce Hoffman, author of Inside Terrorism
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOxford University Press
- Publication dateFebruary 17, 2011
- Dimensions8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
- ISBN-100199738661
- ISBN-13978-0199738663
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"Mike Scheuer was long the dean of U.S. government analysts of Osama bin Laden. Out of government Scheuer has continued to be one of the most original and thoughtful interpreters of bin Laden and al- Qaeda, and in this volume he has distilled his decade and half of thinking about them to great effect, synthesizing a large body of literature to produce a portrait of bin Laden that is authoritative."--Peter Bergen, author of The Longest War and The Osama bin Laden I Know
"No American knows bin Laden better than Scheuer. In this masterful and groundbreaking biography, Scheuer shatters many myths about the al-Qaeda leader that dangerously persist in Washington nearly a decade after 9/11. Drawing on his unparalleled experience and a multitude of primary sources, Scheuer correctly and convincingly portrays America's most determined enemy as a rational, intelligent, patient and pious Muslim who understands us far better than we comprehend him." --Craig Whitlock, National Security Correspondent, The Washington Post
"No individual enemy has done more to drive the direction and sap the resources of U.S. foreign policy than bin Laden, yet policymakers have paradoxically underestimated his ability and character, dismissing him as a simple demon. This book by a uniquely qualified expert probes the depth and complexity of his ideas, strategy, and leadership, shakes off conveniently misleading images, exposes uncomfortable realities, and faces the full challenge posed by bin Laden." --Richard K. Betts, Director, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University
"Lucid and important. Scheuer takes a crucial step in revealing how the West keeps itself vulnerable by persisting in demonizing rather than understanding its formidable opponent." --Publishers Weekly
"In this highly readable and jargon-free book, Scheuer (Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror), head of the CIA's bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999, updates the issues he had covered in his previous publications and offers a serious and nonideological treatment and analysis of bin Laden's thinking. Unlike many Western analysts who dismiss bin Laden as simplistic, uncouth, and incompetent, Scheuer portrays him as a patient, devout, and talented, albeit ruthless, leader who remains a formidable enemy of the West. This informative book is one of the most detailed biographical sketches of bin Laden available in the West and is useful for both the general public and specialists." --Library Journal
"Scheuer, former chief of the CIA unit charged with tracking al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden, writes that the Western powers have 'failed miserably in every conceivable way' in containing the terrorist group and eliminating the threat it poses. Of vital interest to many kinds of readers, particularly those who share the author's view that we are fighting a war that may soon reach our shores." --KIRKUS Reviews
"Steeped in detailed knowledge of the Saudi jihadist. It is a needed corrective to most of the airy generalisations about bin Laden and his followers." --The Financial Times
"Scheuer knows more about Bin Laden as a subject of US intelligence pursuit than almost any other expert." --International Affairs
"...This book is a first-class study, well argued and written for a broad audience; it retains its value for understanding al Qaeda in the post-bin Laden era... [T]his book will be the definitive biography for the future." --CHOICE
About the Author
Michael Scheuer was the chief of the CIA's bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999 and remained a counterterrorism analyst until 2004. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terrorism. He lives in the Washington, DC area.
Product details
- Publisher : Oxford University Press; 1st edition (February 17, 2011)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0199738661
- ISBN-13 : 978-0199738663
- Item Weight : 15.3 ounces
- Dimensions : 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,611,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #178 in Saudi Arabia History
- #2,486 in African Politics
- #3,094 in Terrorism (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Michael Scheuer is a twenty-plus-year CIA veteran. From 1996 to 1999, he served as the Chief of the bin Laden unit (aka Alec Station), the Osama bin Laden tracking unit at the Counterterrorism Center. He then worked as Special Adviser to the Chief of the bin Laden unit from September 2001 to November 2004. He resigned from the CIA in 2004. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, writing regularly for its online publication Global Terrorism Analysis. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
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It is worth going back now to look at the man who financed and inspired the attacks. Osama bin Laden may be dead but the objectives he strove to achieve have in a large part become a reality. His initial motives for declaring Jihad (holy war) against the United States in 1995 have actually been met. Michael Scheuer, chief of the CIA's bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999, provides something revealing in his recent book Osama bin Laden. It was sixteen years ago on August 23, 1995, when Osama bin Laden declared Jihad on the United States. In his declaration and subsequent statements he laid out plainly what he wanted to achieve. In his book Scheuer cites bin Laden's three primary goals:
(1) Helping to bleed America into bankruptcy.
(2) Spreading out U.S. military and intelligence forces to the point where they have little reserves or flexibility.
(3) Stripping away American allies and creating as much political divisiveness as possible in the United States.(pg. viii)
In each case, bin Laden ultimately achieved his objectives. America has been bled into bankruptcy by two no-end wars, living beyond our means, barrowing, and inflation. Our military has been stretched dangerously thin as a result our intention to police the world. Our allies have indeed been stripped away as we have made enemies abroad because of our arrogant foreign policy. Lastly we are no doubt living in a time of great political divisiveness with more and more Americans becoming disillusioned with our foreign and domestic policies.
If we look at bin Laden as a man with three particular objectives in mind, we will see that in a large part as a result of our response to 9/11 we have created a situation for ourselves that puts us right where he wanted us. Bin Laden was astute enough to realize we could weaken our own influence in the world over time better than he could with his single act of terrorism.
In conclusion, the ramifications of 9/11 a decade later affect our nation as it tries to finance the wars and to cope with the loss of civil liberties due to homeland security. Bin Laden probably looked upon this fact with some since of satisfaction. America's lost her much of her influence in the world, which is what he wanted.
While this is one aspect of who he is, the Book by Scheur gives an indepth understanding of his background, the development of his ideas, formation of Al Queda and importantly: what is his goal and why does he believe what he does and how does he plan to accomplish it.
This book is particularly enlightening and creates a broader perspective regarding the dynamics and the turmoil in the Middle East (Especially the current revolations in Egypt, Libya,Algeria, etc). While I don't give any credit to Bin Laden for any positive attributes, one can see where his plans and execution give the name "Mastermind" real meaning, albeit, a very evil one.
For a student of today's dynamics in the Middle East and what the future may hold, this is a book that is worth reading.
I highly recommend this mostly because of its informative nature.