TERRORISM

2000s

General Books and Articles

Ber - Bz

Berman, Paul. Terror and Liberalism. New York: Norton, 2003.

According to Singer, Parameters 34.2, most of the author's "argument takes place on the theoretical plane." He argues that the totalitarian ideologies of the past "have been planted in fertile ground in the Middle East.... [L]ike Fascism, the ideology of al Qaeda and radical Islam is driven by a fear and hate of liberal ideals of tolerance." Berman offers an interesting point of view, but he "attempts to cover too much ground with little grounding and offers too few tangible solutions."

Berntsen, Gary, and Ralph Pezzullo. Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander. New York: Crown, 2005.

Clark comment: Berntsen replaced Gary Schroen as head of the CIA's JAWBREAKER operation in Afghanistan in early November 2001, and headed the CIA effort through the fall of Kabul and in the hunt for Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora and beyond. He left in mid-December. The success of the CIA-led war against the Taliban certainly makes the decision not to give all covert operations to the military look pretty good. The speed at which the CIA was able to move and the flexibility shown in responding to the ever-changing situation is impressive. Berntsen's frustration, even anger, over the failure "to finish the job" -- that is, kill Osama bin Laden -- is clearly stated and heartfelt. Whether he is correct in his assessment of that "failure" is open for discussion. His book needs to be read in conjunction with Gary C. Schroen, First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan (Novato, CA: Presidio, 2005). Taken together, the two books are a stunningly detailed view of a major paramilitary operation.

John Lehman, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2006, says that this book "provides a valuable new account by a major participant that fills in many blanks" in the new kind of war waged in Afghanistan. At various times, CIA veteran Berntsen "had elements of the Delta Force, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and tactical air units reporting to him." The "best aspect" of the book "is its day-by-day account of the execution of an aggressive strategy that originated at the most senior levels of the White House, the Pentagon and the CIA."

For the reviewer, a former Secretary of the Navy and 9/11 Commission member, the author "recounts very credibly how he and others pleaded with Gen. Tommy Franks and the Pentagon brass to put in blocking forces so that bin Laden and the remnants of al Qaeda's leadership could not flee into Pakistan. But for reasons that remain unclear to Berntsen..., the Bush administration or Franks decided to depend instead on local Afghan warlords rather than put U.S. forces on the ground to block bin Laden's escape." This "was a huge blunder."

To Peake, Studies 50.3 (Sep. 2006) and Intelligencer 15.2 (Fall-Winter 2006-2007), "Berntsen offers highly detailed and, if they are to be accepted, disturbing perspectives of numerous events.... Published with many parts blacked out in the Agency's classification review, it still tells an important story and should be read by all those who want to learn about CIA counterterrorism analysis at Headquarters and operations in the field."

See Richard Leiby, "Knocking on Osama's Cave Door: The CIA Operative Says He Was There at the Right Time. His Ex-Bosses Insist No One Was Home," Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2006, C1, for an interview with Berntsen.

See also Dana Priest, "Suing Over the CIA's Red Pen: Retired Operative Says Agency Unfairly Edited His Book," Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2006, A15, for a report on Bertsen's legal efforts to get redacted portions of his book restored.

Betts, Richard K. "How to Think about Terrorism." Wilson Quarterly 30 (Winter 2006): 44-49.

Betts, Richard K. "Intelligence Test: The Limits of Prevention." In How Did This Happen? Terrorism and the New War, eds James F. Hoge, Jr., and Gideon Rose. New York: Public Affairs, 2001.

Binnendijk, Hans, et al. "The Virtual Border: Countering Seaborne Container Terrorism." Defense Horizons [Center for Technology and National Security Policy, National Defense University] 16 (Aug. 2002): 1-9.

The "magnitude and diversity" of the global trade and transportation "system coupled with the permeability of U.S. borders afford numerous avenues to attack American targets. Maritime commerce, and container shipping in particular, provides a highly attractive means not only of delivering weapons but also of smuggling terrorists themselves into the American homeland."

Bobbitt, Philip. Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Knopf, 2008.

Peake, Studies 52.4 (Dec. 2008) and Intelligencer 17.1 (Winter-Spring 2009), comments that this book "deals head-on" with what the author "sees as the new terrorism of the 21st century and what must be done to keep it from succeeding. It is not light reading, but it is very much worth the effort."

Bodansky, Yossef. Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America. Rosewood, CA: Forum, 1999. New York: Forum, 2001. [pb]

Clark comment: The author is Director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. According to Powers, NYRB, 17 Jan. 2002, Bodansky "reports in great detail the outward facts of bin Laden's progress from a builder of hospitals and military barracks in Afghanistan to the world's most wanted terrorist." Nevertheless, we learn "little about bin Laden's character, the people who shaped his thinking, how he came to embrace terrorism and build links with extreme Islamicist groups throughout the world." Chapman, IJI&C 15.4, finds this work "immensely thought-provoking" and "illuminating."

Bohn, Kevin, and Kelli Arena. "With 300,000 Names on List, Terrorist Center Always on Alert." CNN, 25 Sep. 2007. [http://www.cnn.com]

At the Terrorist Screening Center, "a highly secure" facility "in a classified location in northern Virginia," dozens of operations specialists use a "secret terror watch list" to respond to queries about possible terrorists. Officials said that "the consolidated watch list has 300,000 names.... The center's director, Leonard Boyle, said about 5 percent of the names on the list are U.S. citizens.... The majority of calls to the center come from border agents, Boyle said.... [T]he 4-year-old center ... is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by FBI personnel, along with others on loan from various government agencies."

Bonini, Carlo, and Giuseppe D'Avanzo. Collusion: International Espionage and the War On Terror. Hoboken, NJ: Melville House, 2007.

Peake, Studies 51.3 (2007), says that this work "is well documented, well told and provides an explanation for some of the confused intelligence reporting leading to the war in Iraq."

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