Synopses & Reviews
One of the most chilling things to emerge in the aftermath of the July 2005 London transit system bombings was the low profile of the bombers in their local communities. Several of the bombers had traveled to al-Qa'ida's new haven in Pakistan, where they were indoctrinated and trained, but the British security services had their eyes on other targets. One bomber was the son of a couple who ran a fish-and-chips shop; a typical Brit, so described, who was born and raised in Britain, loved cricketand seemed to be, according to several neighbors, a nice guy. Yet in a chilling video aired on the anniversary of the bombing he declared, "We love death the way you love life." He also promised that the war would never stop until the United States and the United Kingdom left Iraq and Afghanistan and ended support for allies such as India and Israel.
Get ready for more, says author, scholar, and staff member of the 9/11 Commission Daniel Byman in The Five Front War. From defining the face of jihadist terrorism to navigating the thicket of internecine struggles within the Muslim world to the difficulties of winning a war of ideas, Byman makes it clear that Americans must get more sophisticated about the enemy, start thinking long-term, and, most of all, develop a coordinated strategy that does not, unlike current efforts, necessarily put military intervention and a relentless push for democratization at the forefront.
The author paints a big picture that many of us haven't seen, examining everything the war on terrorism encompasses. He charts counterterrorism efforts to date, all the major jihadist terrorist attacks worldwide since 9/11, and the many challenges to come. He offers a new approach based on five distinct fronts: rethinking the role of the military, finding new ways to win the war of ideas, making sure our intelligence gathering works effectively with local partners, focusing homeland defense on realistic threats rather than worst-case scenarios, and rethinkingbut not abandoningthe goal of spreading democracy.
He asks provocative questions: How much fear is acceptable? How do you measure victory? How have some older terrorist groups managed to disband and convince their young followers to lay down arms? Should the United States support democracy everywhere?
There are no quick and easy answers, but, Byman cautions, we cannot continue to stumble through this new world with narrow vision and without a coherent policy. Crucial to winning on the five fronts is choosing the right allies, and those alliances may be very different than those forged during the Cold War. Making such changes in foreign policy will require a common vision among the American people and United States leaders of both political parties through multiple administrations.
The Five Front War demonstrates with crystal clarity that we canand we mustdo better than we have in the past in order to protect our future.
Review
"An impressively comprehensive analysis of one of the most formidable security challenges of our time. Its authoritative policy recommendations are as timely as they are compelling."--Bruce Hoffman, Senior Fellow, Combating Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy
"Daniel Byman writes with the access and intimacy of an insider and the critical, dispassionate eye of an outsider. At a time when the sky does, indeed, appear to be falling, he offers us hopeful, realistic solutions for defeating terrorism. The Five Front War should be required reading for scholars, soldiers, and citizens searching for the way ahead."--Dana Priest, national security correspondent, The Washington Post
"Daniel Byman lays out a series of cogent, well argued strategies to prevail in the struggle against violent jihadists in The Five Front War that will be of considerable interest to policy makers, journalists, and the interested public alike. An important and well written addition to the field."--Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I Know
Synopsis
Praise for
The Five Front War
"Daniel Byman writes with the access and intimacy of an insider and the critical, dispassionate eye of an outsider. At a time when the sky does, indeed, appear to be falling, he offers us hopeful, realistic solutions for defeating terrorism. The Five Front War should be required reading for scholars, soldiers, and citizens searching for the way ahead."
Dana Priest, Pulitzer Prizewinning national security correspondent, the Washington Post
"An impressively comprehensive analysis of one of the most formidable security challenges of our time. Its authoritative policy recommendations are as timely as they are compelling."
Bruce Hoffman, Professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; and Senior Fellow, Combating Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy
"Daniel Byman lays out a series of cogent, well-argued strategies to prevail in the struggle against violent jihadists in The Five Front War that will be of considerable interest to policymakers, journalists, and the interested public alike. An important and well-written addition to the field."
Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I Know
Synopsis
A comprehensive look at the War on Terror and the best way to a safer future
Scholar Daniel Byman offers a new approach to fighting the war on terrorism. He convincingly argues that two of the main solutions to terrorism offered by politicians-military intervention and the democratization of the Arab world-shouldn't even be our top priorities. Instead, he presents a fresh way to face intelligence and law enforcement challenges ahead: conduct counterinsurgency operations, undermine al-Qaeda's ideology, selectively push for reforms, and build key lasting alliances.
Daniel Byman (Washington, DC) directs the Security Studies Program and the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University. He is a Senior Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and also served on the 9/11 Commission. He regularly writes about terrorism and the Middle East for the Washington Post, Slate, and other publications.
Synopsis
A comprehensive look at the War on Terror and the best way to a safer future
Scholar Daniel Byman offers a new approach to fighting the war on terrorism. He convincingly argues that two of the main solutions to terrorism offered by politicians-military intervention and the democratization of the Arab world-shouldn't even be our top priorities. Instead, he presents a fresh way to face intelligence and law enforcement challenges ahead: conduct counterinsurgency operations, undermine al-Qaeda's ideology, selectively push for reforms, and build key lasting alliances.
Daniel Byman (Washington, DC) directs the Security Studies Program and the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University. He is a Senior Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and also served on the 9/11 Commission. He regularly writes about terrorism and the Middle East for the Washington Post, Slate, and other publications.
About the Author
Daniel Byman is the Director of the Security Studies Program and the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University. He is a Senior Fellow at The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and also served on the 9/11 Commission. He writes regularly about terrorism and the Middle East for Slate, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, and numerous other publications.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Chapter 1. The Faces of the Adversary.
Chapter 2. What is Victory and How Do We Achieve It?
Chapter 3. Tracking Down and Disrupting Terrorists.
Chapter 4. Killing Terrorists.
Chapter 5. Defending the Homeland without Overreacting.
Chapter 6. Fighting Terrorism with Democracy?
Chapter 7. The War of Ideas.
Chapter 8. Diplomacy.
Chapter 9. The Iraq Dilemma.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.