Synopses & Reviews
When Michael Scheuer first questioned the goals of the Iraq War in his 2004 bestseller andlt;iandgt;Imperial Hubrisandlt;/iandgt;, policymakers and ordinary citizens alike stood up and took notice. Now, Scheuer offers a scathing and frightening look at how the Iraq War has been a huge setback to America's War on Terror, making our enemy stronger and altering the geopolitical landscape in ways that are profoundly harmful to U.S. interests and security concerns. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;iandgt;Marching Toward Hellandlt;/iandgt; is not just another attack on the Bush administration. Rather, it sounds a critical alarm that must be heard in order to preserve the nation's security. Scheuer outlines the ways that America's foreign policy since the end of the Cold War has undermined the very goals for which we are fighting and played right into bin Laden's hands. The ongoing instability in Iraq, for example, has provided al Qaeda and its allies with the one thing they want most: a safe haven from which to launch operations across borders into countries that were previously difficult for them to reach. With U.S. forces and resources spread thinner every day, the war has depleted our strength and brought al Qaeda a kind of success that it could not have achieved on its own. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; A twenty-plus-year CIA veteran, Scheuer headed the agency's Osama bin Laden unit, managed its covert-action operations, and authored its rendition program. Scheuer spent his career developing strategies to keep America safe, by any means deemed necessary by the presidents he served. It was his job to take available intelligence and devise plans to protect Americans, without considering bias, position, or even existing alliances. In andlt;iandgt;Marching Toward Hellandlt;/iandgt;, Scheuer takes on the questions of "What went wrong?" and "How can we fix this?" and proposes a plan to cauterize the damage that has already been done and get American strategy back on track. He lists a number of painful recommendations for how we must shift our ideological, military, and political views in order to survive, even if that means disagreeing with Israeli policy or launching more brutal campaigns against terrorists. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; America holds its destiny in its hands, Scheuer says, yet not nearly enough has been done to defend America and destroy its Islamist enemies. This is an eye- opening, alarming, contentious, and ultimately fascinating examination of how far off track the War on Terror has gone, and a critical read in understanding what we must do to save it.
Synopsis
One of the worlds leading authorities on counterterrorism and the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Imperial Hubris" offers a scathing indictment of the U.S. Iraqi War policy and its long-term consequences for American security.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Michael Scheuerandlt;/bandgt; is a twenty-plus-year CIA veteran. From 1996 to 1999, he andlt;BRandgt;served as the Chief of the bin Laden unit (aka Alec Station), the Osama bin andlt;BRandgt;Laden tracking unit at the Counterterrorism Center. He then worked as Special andlt;BRandgt;Adviser to the Chief of the bin Laden unit from September 2001 to November 2004. andlt;BRandgt;He resigned from the CIA in 2004. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of andlt;BRandgt;Security Studies at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown andlt;BRandgt;Foundation, writing regularly for its online publication andlt;Iandgt;Global Terrorism andlt;BRandgt;Analysisandlt;/iandgt;. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Author's Note
Part I: Getting to 9/11
Chapter 1: Readying bin Laden's Way: America and the Muslim World, 1973-1996
Chapter 2: Fighting Islamists with a Blinding Cold War Hangover, 1996-2001
Part II: Six Years of War, 2001-2007
Chapter 3: Afghanistan -- A Final Chance to Learn History Applies to America
Chapter 4: Iraq -- America Bled White by History Unlearned
Chapter 5: And the Islamists' Fire Quietly Spreads
Part III: Where Stands the War?
Chapter 6: "The bottom is out of the tub": Taking Stock for America in 2008
Chapter 7: "O enemy of God, I will give thee no respite": Al-Qaeda and Its Allies Take Stock
Part IV: Where to from Here?
Chapter 8: A Humble Suggestion -- America First
Epilogue: An Abiding Uniqueness
Notes
Bibliography
Index