Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

Ok - lacking detail
It is crazy to say this, but there are far better books on this subject.This book lacks detail that you will see in "Curveball" by Drogin as well as other books.I imagine the CIA review ended up removing some of the really interesting information from this publication.

CIA Good -- Bush Bad, Warmed Over Stuff
This book has little to offer.So the commander-in-chief didn't follow the CIA recommendations exactly -- well, who works for whom?

The story meanders rather disjointedly, and the left-wing basis becomes readily apparent when one reads about the political attitudes within the author's family.With respect to much of the content, I agree with Retired Reader's review, but not his rating.There is almost nothing to learn here for the general public.

Amazingly, the proper actions only came into focus after the author retired and 20-20 hindsight could be applied.Also the difficulty of getting wiretaps in Germany was ingenuous -- the Germans have been merrily wire-tapping people of interest with impunity for years as well as opening their mail (and all mail going or coming from specific countries or localities) and microfilming the contents.That the CIA couldn't obtain what was supposedly needed is a gross indictment of the agency.Also, every intelligence in the world recruits agents from citizens of target countries who are accessible in third countries, but apparently this hadn't occurred to the Chief of the CIA Clandestine Operations, Europe.Wow, so now we read about that and it's Bush's fault?What's the CIA going to do now that its leftist ideology is in line with Obama's?

That the CAI is a bloated bureaucracy and extremely risk-adverse cannot really be argued against.However, one obtains the feeling from this book that the author believes the reverse is true.Obviously the memories of individuals in this book have undergone modification based on subsequent events to make certain individuals look good and others bad.This is often the case with books like this, and earns them low ratings.

In short, there is almost nothing new in this book, and some details are highly questionable.This has been grist to the far-left media mill, but of little use to the US in any capacity.In essence, it is remarkable that the chief of an important department should have so little understanding of intelligence gathering, how it is accomplished and how it is analyzed.Perhaps that has been a major part of our problem, but rather than getting better, it now looks like it will get worse.Now we have a garden-variety political/bureaucratic hack who possesses no intelligence experience in the position of CIA Director.

It is important for individuals at management levels in the CIA to concentrate on their missions rather than promoting themselves at cocktail parties and political gatherings.If necessary they need to ready to resign in support of their positions and sacrifice themselves for the good of the country.For many reasons, bureaucrats, and especially those in the CIA, have been unwilling to do that.This book talks around those problems without addressing the central issues, and if the reader can penetrate the covering mish-mash, perhaps something can come out of it.

In short, I do not recommend this book to the general public, but it is an interesting read for intelligence professionals who understand the problems in the CIA bureaucracy and the lack of morale fiber within.

Disappointed
I had high expectations for this book and frankly was very disappointed. After having read "At The Center of the Storm" by George Tenet I was anticipating another perspective from a CIA insider on September 11th, the War on Terror and the circumstance surrounding "curveball". This book does not deliver the goods. To be honest I kept loosing interest in the material. I found the writing rambling and wordy. I felt like I was reading a very loosely related collection of notes, diary entries and fragments of essays all in need of a major edit job.We are told on page 231 of the hardbound edition that one sixth of the book was deleted by the CIA vetting process to protect sources. When you consider the wide margins, double-spacing, blank page at the end of chapters, and major deletions of critical material I would recommend you pass this book up.

The G.W. Bush Hallmark
Almost incredible, how the ideological kidnapping by the Bush administration precipitated the retirement or resign of very senior officers at the CIA - without any regret.

Raises more questions than it answers
This is a rather rambling personal account by a former senior executive service member of the CIA.It also includes a fascinating "Episodes from the Life of a CIA Family" by co-author Elaine Monaghan as well as her Afterward which includes extensive excerpts from the Silberman-Robb report (with online URLs) which investigated the issues raised in this book.It's obvious that the author's operational division/group disagreed with its intelligence counterparts in CIA's WINPAC & other intel agencies.The tragedy was that the ops folks were right (this time).Of course, we have no idea how this one event fits into the overall scheme of things statistically.Apparently, the relatively lower level ops folks didn't have the credibility or juice needed on this issue.It's impossible to ascertain whether the fault lay with President & advisors or with CIA top executives (who voluntarily took the blame) since the text seems to disagree with the Silberman-Robb report in this regard.I think it was admirable that Monaghan included such extensive reporting on it.Still, one wonders at this fiasco--not that such a thing could happen, we're all human and this is after all human intelligence = humint, but at the apparent lack of creativity.For example, though the Germans initially denied US agents access to Curveball (they got access eventually--but too late), they could have asked to see him behind one-way glass (done all the time by police during questioning and for lineups) or at least provided the questions to the Germans to ask.It was the questions asked (after access was given) that provided the inconsistencies proving that Curveball was a fabricator.Most appalling, however, was the lack of any integration of intelligence data, even for a particular issue or source.Further, the data provided to users lacked context (i.e. the source WAS considered questionable by some CIA personnel--whether you agreed with them or not).Thus, they had a black & white, all-or-nothing approach to information & data--and they only provided those, NOT knowledge (which requires context).Only knowledge is actionable--not data or information (something out of context is valueless). ... Read more

Product Description
In The New Nobility, two courageous Russian investigative journalists open up the closed and murky world of the Russian Federal Security Service. While Vladimir Putin has been president and prime minister of Russia, the Kremlin has deployed the security services to intimidate the political opposition, reassert the power of the state, and carry out assassinations overseas. At the same time, its agents and spies were put beyond public accountability and blessed with the prestige, benefits, and legitimacy lost since the Soviet collapse. The security services have played a central— and often mysterious—role at key turning points in Russia during these tumultuous years: from the Moscow apartment house bombings and theater siege, to the war in Chechnya and the Beslan massacre. The security services are not all-powerful; they have made clumsy and sometimes catastrophic blunders. But what is clear is that after the chaotic 1990s, when they were sidelined, they have made a remarkable return to power, abetted by their most famous alumnus, Putin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good but flawed on a number of points
The main goal of the authors is to show that the FSB like the KGB and the tsarist's secret police before it have become the means by which the Kremlin controls Russia and in this the authors are successfull.They demonstrate how Putin has consolidated the FSB from the chaotic 90s and has used it to solidify his control over the country.They show how the FSB has played a role in the political,economic and administrative life of Russia.They give details about its involvement in the North Caucausus,the spy cases over the last decade and the hostage crises in the last couple of years.However,the authors have omitted a number of details that would have been interesting and it would seem that a number of their points are erroneous.
For example,there is no mention about the FSB's role in the Yukos affair and this is important as this was a turning point for Russia where Putin and his hardline allies in the siloviki were victorious in their control of Russia over the oligarchs.There is no mention of the FSB and Organized crime or of any possible role it played in information sharing with the CIA in the invasion of Afghanistan.No mention either of the role it played in the assasinations of Chechen warlords like Khattab,Arbi Barayev,Maskhadov and Basayev.The authors also make the claim that Nord Ost was a disaster but given the fact that the rebels attempted to attain some kind of victory,that many lives were saved and that by the authors own admission ,the operation was thought to be impossible ,I dont see how this could be so.
In conclusion,if you want to get a glimpse to how Russian politics works or of the role the FSB plays in modern Russia this book will be a great guide.If you were expecting details like how Christopher ANdrew has detailed the KGB and MI5,you will be sorely disappointed.

A vivid history. A must read.
For those looking for yet more evidence that the security services are pulling the strings in modern Russia, look no further than this extraordinary new book from the fearless journalists at agentura.ru. Soldatov (who has written for Russian Life) and Borogan have compiled a history of FSB activities and operations over the past decade that paint a very vivid picture of a security service that has become Russia's new ruling class.

Today's FSB, the authors show, is careerist, clannish, suspicious and inward looking. Oh, and ruthless and absolutely unaccountable to any democratically governed body.

With amazing accounts of some of the most significant security crises and counter-terrorist activities of the past decade, Soldatov and Borogan offer insights into FSB operations that have not been offered anywhere to date, outside perhaps the FSB and the CIA. Certainly the Russian press has offered little in this realm since Putin, Edinaya Rossiya and the FSB stepped in to fill the power vacuum left behind when the Communist Party was sucked out into space. A must read.

As reviewed in Russian Life ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (213)

9/11 Commission Report
I really haven't had the chance to read the book but I've read the first chapter and I'm hoping to finish the book by the end of the year.It has a lot of good information and I believe it is credible.For someone that is interested in finding the truthbehind 911,I highly recommend this book.Good luck and enjoy the book!

A Joke . . . or Just a Dream?
What is going on here? We are nearing the end of the year 2010; it's been nearly one decade since the 9/11 attacks and Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Brzezinski, Giuliani, Rice, the CIA, the FBI, Kristol, and the hundreds of other complicit individuals have yet to be brought to justice for the murder of 3,000 US citizens on our soil, as well as the 2nd degree murders of 5,000 combat troops & over 1,000,000 dead Iraqi's.

The only thing that this commission 'report' was helpful with was citing some reasons, contrary to the 'they hate us because we're free propaganda,' that Bin Laden and his gang are truthfully resentful toward the United States. The report cites the fact that the US had troops stationed on the Arabian Peninsula as one of the major reasons 'they' attacked us that morning.

Of course, a decade of research and actually paying attention to what is going on, later, I can say without any hesitation that Bush and crew were/are a murderous group of monsters. Obama is no different. How convenient that this commission just felt like leaving out WTC 7 altogether. Hmmm. I find that rather peculiar! Considering WTC 7 was brought down using controlled demolition (this has been proven by the building's owner admitting on PBS that he gave the go ahead to 'Pull it,' as well as through scientific laboratory testing conducted by actual investigative scientists and crews who did was the 9/11 commission was supposed to do.

Some other facts, easily verified through gov't documents on the internet, surrounding the 9/11 time-line:

.1998 - Bush Senior travels to Saudi Arabia complements of the Carlyle Group (military industrial complex - corporation) & meets with the Bin Laden family.
.January of 2001 - George Bush Jr. signs off on orders to FBI & other intelligence agencies to back off any and all investigations of Bin Laden's family, namely his two brothers who were residing in VA in a hotel right beside the CIA headquarters (since they were on their payroll and all)
.June 1 - German intelligence agency warns the CIA that a group of Muslims is planning an attack on United States soil, more specifically on American landmarks that we cherish
.July 1 - 3 American ambassadors (may have been current and prior sec of state's) travel to and meet with Russian & Pakistani governments intelligence agencies and tell them that the US is planning an attack on Afghanistan during the coming October.

The tens of thousands who have perished are still not RIP, and will not ever RIP until we as a citizenry wake up, look at the evidence, and take a stand against this looming one world government!

Wake UP AMERICA!

Book came quickly
The book came very quickly as promised.Great service. Amazon makes shopping online fast and easy. As for the book, I am just getting into it.It looks like a heavy read but is very "readable" the way it is written.

9/11 Commission Report
I was very impressed with the shipping time that this book arrived, I ordered it the week of Christmas and it came the Monday after. WOW!!! Very good business!!! Thank you!!!

9/11 Commission Report
This is a must read for every American. Although the book answered a lot of questions about how we arrived at 9/11, there were many more questions left unanswered. At 450 pages (plus chapter notes), the 9/11 Commission Report is a rather lengthy book, but well worth the read if you any interest in politics, foreign policy, or the layers of Government that played a role in this tragic event. ... Read more

Product Description
In February of 2006, Matthew Aid’s discovery of a massive secret historical document reclassification program then taking place at the National Archives made the front page of the New York Times. This discovery is only the tip of the iceberg of Aid’s more than twenty years of intensive research, culled from thousands of pages of formerly top secret documents. In The Secret Sentry, he details the untold history of America’s most elusive and powerful intelligence agency, the National Security Agency (NSA), since the end of World War II. This will be the first comprehensive history of the NSA, most recently in the news with regards to domestic spying, and will reveal brand new details about controversial episodes including the creation of Israel, the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin Wall, and the invasion of Iraq. Since the beginning of the Cold War, the NSA has become the most important source of intelligence in the US government: 60% of the president’s daily briefing comes from the NSA. Matthew Aid will reveal just how this came to be, and why the NSA has gone to such great lengths to keep its history secret. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Good book, not what I was looking for though.
The Secret Sentry is actually a good book. It gives a good history of the NSA from its founding days up until recent years. There is a lot of detail about people that were involved with the NSA, the government and the different wars that the US got involved in. I really got involved in the reading at the beginning of the book but then it started to get a little repetitive. I still kept on reading but I didn't feel the enthusiasm that I felt at first.

I started reading the book for one of my college classes. The class focused on information security and assurance. After reading the book, I felt that The Secret Sentry was not really what my class was focused on. It did talk about intelligence gathering and code breaking but I didn't feel that the book was focused on information security like was discussed in class. Although the book is a great and informational, I wouldn't recommend it for an information security course in college. Plus, the book focused more on the military side of things.

Great Book.
Between Matthew Aid and James Bamford, you'll read everything that's publicly known about the NSA. Fascinating look at the people who keep their ears to the ground and keep the country safe. Superb.
Mathew Aid differs from James Bamford in that, unlike Bamford, Aid's personal political point of view doesn't come across in his writing. Don't get me wrong. I think James Bamford is great, too. Just differing styles, I guess.

Interesting Arguments but Badly Written
Matthew Aid's "The Secret Sentry" promises to be an interesting read, and he does in fact provide a new startling perspective on the National Security Agency (NSA).But it is badly written, gets too easily bogged down on familiar terrain, and ultimately disappoints.

Thanks to Hollywood depictions and its anonymity, the NSA awes and scares people.At the very mention of NSA, images from Hollywood thrillers come into mind:satellites zooming into a lonely lane, security cameras tracking a couplefs restaurant conversation, and computers recording anyone's mobile chit-chat.The power and the pervasiveness that is the NSA, which ever since its existence has been directed at America's allies and enemies, was brought home against America itself with the signing of the Patriot Act.After that, Americans too easily became paranoid, and in their minds the NSA was no longer the protector of American liberties against foreign aggressors, and became the threat itself.

"The Secret Sentry" will first and foremost calm people's fears of the NSA.The NSA is, in Mr. Aid's rendering, just another bloated bureaucracy that is incompetently run and unmanageable because it's engaged in the impossible task of trying to spy on everyone who could be a possible threat against America (which in the American intelligence community means at least half the people on this planet).The NSA may be recording every phone conversation and tracking every electronic movement, but at the end of the day humans need to prioritize targets, distill and refine this information into actionable intelligence, and be able to co-operate amongst themselves.(A dominant theme running through the book is that ever since its inception the NSA, as is natural of a large bloated bureaucracy among many large bloated bureaucracies, has been trying to assert its independence and indeed hegemony over the entire American intelligence community.)It is this need for the co-operation between technological supremacy and human common sense that has made the NSA the most prevalent but trivial organization in the American intelligence community.The paradox seems to be that as machines become mightier the humans using these mighty machines become dumber:a plucky reporter with a pencil and notepad and who trusts his own brain will be a much better gauge of Al-Qaedafs intentions than a lieutenant general with a staff of thousands of cryptologists and billion dollars worth of electronic surveillance equipment.The NSA failed to penetrate the Iron Curtain, failed to foresee the Chinese entry into the Korean War, failed to see the collapse of the Berlin Wall, failed to see the coming of global terrorism, and failed to have much impact in the war against terrorism.The NSA proves that having too much information is often worse than having no information.

But after we realize this vital point about the NSA there is no other need to read "The Secret Sentry."Mr. Aid may have spent years in the National Security Archives and he may be one of America's foremost experts on the NSA, but he is also dealing with highly sensitive material.He may have "confidential" interviews with dozens of NSA and intelligence interviews, but how could he have been told anything useful considering he was interviewing spies whose first instinct is to misdirect, misinform, and deceive.And because he had so much access to the National Security Archives, Mr. Aid undoubtedly had to write this book with its general counsel looking constantly over his shoulder.

There is neither energy nor punch in this book, and reads too much like a neat cataloguing of press clippings about the NSA.

Interesting and detail account of NSA
This book details the role of NSA in the modern military history. NSA originated from a unit ASA after the World War II and it transform itself to NSA. The primary role of NSA is to provide its customer (military forces, CIA and government) signal intelligence (SIGINT) by collecting signal from various foreign military installation, foreign diplomats and embassies. This includes monitoring radio signals and phone lines etc.

NSA originally functions under the directive of CIA but eventually gain autonomy by gaining political allies in the congress and white house. It eventually grows into the largest intelligence unit and overshadows CIA, NRO in terms of budgets and staff strength.

This book includes details of operation especially operations on the USSR. Beside details of various operations, the book also account for the dissensions between NSA and other military intelligence agencies. The book also reveals the use of inaccurate information for the war in Iraq recently and its unwarranted local surveillance on Americans.

Finally the book mentioned the problem face with the current NSA, such as its effort to modernize and to keep up with the technology and its problem with bureaucracy.

Matthew Aid knows how to sift through declassified documents
THE SECRET SENTRY is a master-work of a real historian - Matthew Aid has very carefully collated and correlated recently de-classified documents to provide a clear path through major events. His analysis is thoughtful, and doesn't appear to over-reach or invent.

Other reviewers have stated that THE SECRET SENTRY is not a "casual" book. I disagree: it is eminently readable, particularly for a historical overview. The reader is not bombarded with minutiae, but a careful, well-measured collection of major historical episodes. Where appropriate, the time of day is included to inform the reader and clearly display how the course of events relates to and influences the actions of decision makers. This presentation also shows how politicians have repeatedly (privately) mis-interpreted and (publicly) mis-represented information to the public. Chapters are broken into short segments, highlighting the relevance of a given event to the larger chapter topic while avoiding the "droning" typical of many histories. (For those interested in minutiae, the references section is impressive.)

I whole-heartedly recommend this book. It clearly shows the impact - positive and negative - of the intelligence community on U.S. national and world events. ... Read more

Product Description

Richard Clarke's dramatic statement to the grieving families during the 9/11 Commission hearings touched a raw nerve across America. Not only had our government failed to prevent the 2001 terrorist attacks, but it has proven itself, time and again, incapable of handling the majority of our most crucial national security issues, from Iraq to Katrina and beyond. This is not just a temporary failure of our current leadership—it is a systemic problem, the result of a pattern of incompetence that must be understood, confronted, and prevented.

Clarke's first book, the number one bestseller Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror, explained how the United States had stumbled into a struggle with violent Islamist extremists. Now, in Your Government Failed You, Clarke looks at why these unconscionable failures have continued and how America and the world can succeed against the terrorists. Yet Clarke also goes far beyond terrorism, to examine the inexcusable chain of recurring U.S. government disasters. Despite the lessons of Vietnam, there is Iraq. A trail of intelligence failures litters the Washington landscape. From Katrina to color codes and duct tape, "homeland security" has been an oxymoron. Why does the superpower continue to bobble national security?

Clarke minces no words in his examination of the breadth and depth of the mediocrity, entropy, and collapse endemic in America's national security programs. In order for the United States to stop its string of strategic mistakes, we first need to understand why they happen. Drawing on his thirty years in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community, Clarke gives us a privileged, if horrifying, look into the debacle of government policies, discovering patterns in the failures and offering ways to stop the cycle once and for all.

Customer Reviews (39)

Transaction Satisfaction
Excellent transaction. Received timely and in advertised condition. I would do business with this seller again.

False Flag Book
This book is nothing more than an anti-Bush treatise concealed as something else.I stopped reading at page 46.I thought the book would be about the government having failed America, but it is nothing more than the author's anti-Bush agenda camoulaged as such.

The Bureaucracy Bell Curve
Your Government Failed You relates, among other things, how, after Vietnam, Congress passed and President Reagan signed a bill co-sponsored by Senator Barry Goldwater that was supposed to eliminate many of the institutional failures that led to the Vietnam catastrophe, especially those recounted in H.R. McMaster's wonderful Dereliction of Duty, which demonstrated how the top military brass permitted Johnson and McNamara to lie to Congress and to our people. Sadly, the military leadership again dropped the ball the Goldwater bill gave them by eschewing their responsibilities to give the president advice that was independent of the Defense Department chain of command.

Your Government Failed You also recounts how the all-volunteer army was supposed to prevent other Vietnams by (1) limiting the size of the troop force available to future presidents; and, as a consequence, (2) compel any president seeking to engage another large-scale conflict like Vietnam to activate the reserves and national guards, stripping folks from their families and jobs, thereby triggering public protests. Of course, that palliative fails, as we've seen, when folks in power are able to lie and manipulate media and congressional oversight, and the military hierarchy is complicit.

In my view, the historical stuff in Your Government Failed is well worth the read, even though Clarke's suggestions for new fixes will never be implemented because they would truncate entrenched interests, and, unfortunately, ignores the Bell Curve of competency and caring that reigns in all endeavors, whether it be government, media, law, auto mechanics, medicine, etc. I give it only four stars, however, because Clarke ventures beyond his expertise in swallowing Al Gore's global-warming stuff, relying on what is slowly emerging as flawed scientific analyses. In a sense, Clarke's unsupported ipse dixits on the global warning controversy is attempting a bridge too far.

WE KEEP FAILING
ALOT OF MR. CLARKE'S BOOK I WAS AWARE OF. BUT THE REST WAS SO INTERESTING I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. READ IT AND WEEP. HOW DO YOU STOP AN OUT OF CONTROL SPEEDING TRAIN, OR MAY BE I SHOULD SAY AN AVALANCHE. SOME DAYS I FEEL DOOMED.

No one thinks and writes as well as Richard Clarke
I've read over a hundred books in search of what's gone wrong in America, and I must say, that no one thinks and writes as clearly as Richard Clarke. He has a wealth of uncommon, yet important knowledge, about what's really happening in our government.

For example, he opens with a chapter on how our Army was reinvented since Vietnam, so that another Vietnam could not happen. Well of course it has in Iraq, but more due to the naked abuse of political power than a lack of leadership or organization in our Army. Like Clarke himself, most of our "best and brightest" find retirement preferable to selling their souls to villains.

The book looks like it might be written for one of the courses Clarke teaches at Harvard. But if every professor wrote with such clarity, passion, and commitment, citizens and voters could save a lot of time and money by reading instead of going to school. ... Read more

Product Description

The story which asks the questions ...

Can a young man from a small town in Montana find happiness ...

• As a sailor ...
• A teacher ...
• An alleged economist ...
• An intelligence officer ...
• An international trade unionist ...
• A White House Staffer ...
• A Wall Street Banker ...
• A political campaign manager ...
• An economic and political consultant ...
• An international diamond dealer ...
• A puzzled retiree?

... Read more

Product Description
Former government agents detail the corrupt activities of people in the CIA, the FBI and other offices in the Department of Justice. It focuses on the plight of a former highly decorated Vietnam helicopter pilot and FBI agent, who discovered corruption involving CIA assets and the misconduct of his boss, FBI supervisor Lindley DeVecchio. When he circumvented DOJ cover ups and reported the crimes to members of Congress, DOJ officials falsely charged him with criminal acts, resulting in a 50-year prison sentence, to keep the public from learning about the crimes against the United States and against the people. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stich of Dynamite
this book should shake lethargic Americans right out of their lethargy, from coast to coast.Hey, we have a drug problem -- here is evidence that it's the CIA that's been importing the drugs and/or covering it all up for decades.Our police and government agencies are going after the little guys -- dealing in hundreds of dollars.Meanwhile, the real drug abusers, sellers, and launderers are making millions and going scot free.One man, Richard Taus, learned about it and attempted to get something done.They have stashed him away in Dannemora Prison for eighty years to keep his story away from YOU... PLEASE -- read this book! ... Read more

Product Description
Aaron Vanderhoff watches in horror as a garbage truck pulls up to his family’s home and fires a rocket into the house, blowing it to smithereens. Aaron screams as he watches his Mom and Dad perish in the fire. He regains his senses just in time to get out of sight as the killers turn to look for witnesses.

Aaron, a bright 12 year old, makes a quick decision that he must leave the scene immediately and find the only person he has left in the world, his grandfather.Afraid for his life, he scrambles into the bushes and then he is gone.

Unbeknownst to Aaron, terrorists stole a top-secret computer, built by his father and a team of scientists at the National Security Agency, from a secret hiding place in the family home. Too late did the terrorists realize that the computer was a clever decoy, not the weapon of mass destruction that they learned about, from a double-agent. They had been duped. But who is duping whom?

Aaron, now 18, receives a much-wanted computer he needs for college. His grandfather tells him it’s a belated gift from his dead father and tells him not to tell anyone about their family secret.

Bewildered, Aaron asked, "What family secret?" His grandfather just smiled and said, "You'll discover the secret when you're ready."

A year later, the terrorists learn that Aaron is alive. The chase is on as the terrorists try to determine if Aaron has the computer they had been seeking for the past seven years.

WHITE HOUSE SECRETS is a suspense/thriller with a little mystery thrown in. This book is intended for any age as the primary protagonist starts out at 12 and grows into a mature young college graduate as he unknowingly becomes a pawn in a race to steal back a powerful computer that could destroy peaceful nations.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Exciting, suspense driven book
Love this book. Every chapter was filled with suspense and mystery. Great characters. I was shocked when the main characters were killed early in the book. I was thinking, "What next?" Then the book moved into high gear. I couldn't put the book down until I turned the last page. Wow, I thought, what an ending. This book, "White House Secrets" brings forth the kind of secrets that I am sure that President's have and share with other Presidents, but never, never the public. Kind of like, "Is there life on other planets?" Or "Are we alone?" My father worked in that business and he was a brilliant scientist and he always thought there was life on other planets.

Now back to this review. While there is nothing about "Life on other planets," there is plenty of suspense, and a really big secret. After reading this I book I searched the Internet for this secret and found something startling, "That the secret mentioned is already in research with prototypes and will be ready for production in about 10-15 years." All I could think was wow, wow.

I have now read this book twice. I just love this book.

Taylor Green
Washington, DC ... Read more

Product Description
Since 9/11, a new configuration of power situated at the core of the executive branch of the U.S. government has taken hold. In Crimes of Power & States of Impunity, Michael Welch takes a close look at the key historical, political, and economic forces shaping the country's response to terror.

Welch continues the work he began in Scapegoats of September 11th and argues that current U.S. policies, many enacted after the attacks, undermine basic human rights and violate domestic and international law. He recounts these offenses and analyzes the system that sanctions them, offering fresh insight into the complex relationship between power and state crime. Welch critically examines the unlawful enemy combatant designation, Guantanamo Bay, recent torture cases, and collateral damage relating to the war in Iraq. This book transcends important legal arguments as Welch strives for a broader sociological interpretation of what transpired early this century, analyzing the abuses of power that jeopardize our safety and security. ... Read more

Product Description
Tracing the history of government intrusions on Constitutional rights in response to threats from abroad, Cole and Dempsey warn that a society in which civil liberties are sacrificed in the name of national security is in fact less secure than one in which they are upheld.A new chapter includes a discussion of domestic spying, preventive detention, the many court challenges to post-9/11 abuses, implementation of the PATRIOT ACT, and efforts to reestablish the checks and balances left behind in the rush to strengthen governmental powers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

This Book Lacks Real Solutions
This book appears more to be an alarmist than pointing out a real solution to what the author considers as a growing problem.Since 2001 PATRIOT Act, the main problem civil liberities activists have is monitoring international calls from suspected terrorists.If this is all the problems these people have including the author, other than speculating what might happen, then there is no real problem with the 2001 PATRIOT Act that's going to take the average American's liberities away.

Rest in Peace Bill of Rights...slain by the Patriot Act
Government response to 'terrorism' is not new; we have previously understood that in 'times of war' civil liberties were suspended (supposedly for the national good). We also know that times of panic (Joe McCarthy) had also prompted otherwise reasonable people to abandon their civil liberties for the now-familiar promise of 'national security'.

Yet, what is new about the post 9/11 climate is the depth of these anti-terrorism policies and the general public's apparent willingness to sacrifice their freedom inexplicably to receive 'security'.

Whether it is the terror alert 'color' of the day, or the list of people who can/cannot fly on planes, national security could instead be used as a tool to generate even more fear...or a weapon to attack political dissenters.

A government effectively stifling criticism of its policies as `being for the terrorists' is allowed to do whatever it wants to citizens whenever it wants. Reminiscent of Nazi Germany, people who still attempt to critique government policy (including the Patriot Act) quickly find themselves labeled as an enemy of the state.

It is significant that the first edition of this book was published after the Oklahoma City bombing. Everybody had agreed this event was a national tragedy, yet the government did not use it as a battering ram to dismantle citizen civil liberties and/or eliminate people whom they have disagreed with. By focusing on case specifics, the Clinton administration found the people who were responsible for that incident (two disgruntled veterans from America's heartland!).

Sharply contrasting, the measures taken in response to 9/11 demonstrate excess and paranoia. "Homeland security" permits the Bush White House to target ANYBODY it does not like.

How else to explain why Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D MA)'s name has repeatedly turned up on the nation's no fly-list, despite a public service career whose length easily exceeds that of many "Homeland Security" officials themselves?

And then there is the issue of increased FBI surveillance to 'combat' terrorist threats. Again, because the FBI had spied on dissenting groups until Hoover's death, there is a strong case that this same government agency will not ethically be able to conduct impartial investigations today.

It is indeed a sad day when we want the rest of the world to be democratic but cannot bring ourselves to have similar conditions inside this same country. The greatest causality of the war on terror is the American Bill of Rights.

Great book, but scary to think about, post-9/11 study.
This book gives a frightening look at how post-9/11 paranoia and the aftermath of that horrific event have lead to the diminution of civil liberties in the U.S..The passage of the so-called "Patriot Act(s)" will not only make ethnic groups (particularly Arab/Muslims, given that 9/11 was perpetrated by members of that ethnic group) [a] cause to worry, even Americans may be, if their views don't match the current Administration's views, subject to loss of constitutional rights.[The ACLU would have a field day about this, if the premise of the book is true.]It is an important book to read and should be read by everyone who thinks that their civil liberties are unable to be violated by the government.(Conservatives will call this book nonsense, but most of us [moderates and liberals] will find the book an eye-opening study of overreaction and paranoia, by the government, as a result of 9/11.

6 years older , but none the wiser...
This edition is an updated version of the authors earlier book written in the wake of the 1996 Anti-Terrorism Act. Remember that Act? That was the one passed in response to Oklanhoma City and gave "sweeping new powers" to federal authorities, so that such a horrible act of terrorism, would never, ever, never, never happen ever again!

Now with 9/11 and the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" (U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T) Act (how much time, do you suppose, does it take to come with these acronyms?), the authors are back with a critical look at a drive towards what has very little to do with counterterrorism and quite a bit to do with increasing and centralizing power.

In the past 12 months we've had proposals for a national ID card, a missle defense system, legalized torture, suspension of writ of habeas corpus, a "homeland security" infrastructure that is heavily reliant on security technologies of dubious value. Basically the only thing that has changed that would have prevented the 9/11 are locked Cabin doors and the newfound general awareness that "cooperating with the hijacker" might not be the best policy for passeners.

Also along the way, a steady trickle of stories of missed opportunities, ignored warning and frustrated investingations have come out regarding the FBI and others to use the powers they already do have.

The bulk of the book deals with FBI misdeed during the Cold War and proposes an unfashionable counterrorism strategy that emphasizes the responsibility of actors, not ideology. Basically, trying to treat terrrorism as a crime not as war.

The proposals are a little narrow. Terrorism of the sort represented by al Quaeda is international, not just national. The fight against it will share more with racketeering and global criminal networks. And a world court is needed. I'm not sure if dealing on a purely "case-by-case" basis will do the trick.

Nevertheless, the authors have offered a well reasoned case and in the current climate when we are asked to give up so much with only the assurance of "trust us" we would do to heed their call. ... Read more

Product Description
Deterrence of nuclear use through the threat of retaliation could be highly problematic in many plausible conflict scenarios with nuclear-armed regional adversaries. This could compel U.S. leaders to temper their military and political objectives if they come into conflict with these states. This book examines the reasons behind this important shift in the international security environment and its strategic and force planning implications. ... Read more

Product Description
Martin Kaiser is a legend within the nation's covert electronic surveillance fraternity. With a hot-wired transmitter the size of a pea, Kaiser built devices that could bring down a government, prevent a terrorist attack, or provide blackmail for a government agency to smear a well-known American Civil Rights leader. Now, in Odyssey of an Eavesdropper, he steps from the shadows of national security to tell his own story-a journey from an abusive childhood in a Pennsylvania coal-mining town to icon status in the black ops world of U.S. spy operations as the premier producer of electronic surveillance gadgets and dirty tricks, and then his battle for professional and emotional survival with the FBI bent on his destruction.Kaiser's clients included the FBI, the CIA, DEA, Secret Service, Army, Navy and Air Force Intelligence, as well as foreign intelligence services. However, as a result of his testimony before the National Wiretap Commission in 1975, the FBI began a vendetta against Kaiser, nearly driving his business into bankruptcy and resulting in his eventual indictment on charge of illegal wiretapping, conspiracy and transporting an illegal eavesdropping device across state lines. Acquitted of all charges and having reinvented himself, Kaiser tells his tale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Historical fact high-tech bugging in plain English and quite a plot!
Combining historical fact, a history of a part of the "bugging" industry, this work brings the reader a true story (and a bit of a rant against the FBI, though well justified)of a man and the developments he pioneered in what we today call the covert surveillance industry -- better known in conversations around the water fountain as "bugging."Even if you know nothing about technology, this one-man's creative inventions and his lengthy and expensive fight against the FBI's attempt to damage him after he gave true and accurate testimony to Congress about his dealings with the FBI make for a truly excellent read!

Mr Kaiser walks it like he talks it, and he doesn't write any stuff
Mr. Kaiser walks it like he talks it, and he doesn't write any stuff that he can't back up in this book.I've read this book over six times and each time I get more out of.
Mr. Kaiser gives us a glimpse of the operations of the "beltway bandits".Small electronic manufacturers that exist almost solely to and are vital to fulfill our government's special needs.
Also you get a view of the import export dance.The who gets what this week.If you google some of the names you meet in this book you'll see some nasty characters, some famous and infamous.This book is way better than a spy fiction book because it is real.
An interesting portion of this tome deals with Mr. Kaiser's battle with the government and privacy.The cold war, spook stuff is more interesting, but it's all good.
There's stuff in here you won't find written about anywhere else.
The people who gave this book a bad review didn't read it and or had a bone to pick with Mr. Kaiser. Succinctly put, this book rocks!

EXCELLENT BOOK A MUST FOR ALL TSCM TECHNICIANS!
Wow, this Book is awesome and highly recommended to all TSCM. As a private detective and certified TSCM I found this book very informative, educational and profoundly interesting. Well written and documented with all the methodologies of the cover-ops of the Agencies. The book is also detailed with awesome technical knowledge of Eavesdroppers and Countermeasure applications. The present state of affairs in obtaining business intelligence has become a routine by companies in order to intercept competitors data and this book discloses all the clandestine methods and applications!

an arrogant one-sided tall tale
After reading just a few chapters, it's apparent that Marty is one of those arrogant people who believe they are never the problem, it's always everybody else!Being familiar with some mentioned in Marty's 'story', it's imperative that readers know that this tale is NOT an accurate portrayl of events!The only constant in this book is that everyone is always doubting him, his wife, his attorney's, the government, his friends, and when Marty could hold no ground with his petty counter-suit against the agents, HIS OWN representation settled!Against "his wishes" of course. Nobody has doubted Marty's technical ability, it's his character that's always and will always, be in question.

It's all about me, me, me, me.
Not everyone get into legal problems with the government. Some people who do get into a battle with the government have their own distinctive ideas of what is right and what is wrong, regardless of what the law actually says.

Mr. Kaiser strikes me as being in this group. He's capitalized on it with a book that was optioned for a movie.

Pity is that the story is a tad unbelievable, very focused on Mr. Kaiser and distinctly one-sided. Yes, Kaiser claims to have done a lot of work with the FBI and CIA. Needless to say they're the bad guys and he's the one with the white hat. Actually it seems that neither side was without guilt and the truth would have made this a more compelling book.

In short, all of this is a bit Andy Warhohlish . . . Mr. Kaiser is getting his 15 minutes of fame.

The last chapter ("The Future of Privacy in America -- Or What's Left ofIt") is a joke. Here's a guy who has made his living ferreting out information and now he claims "[p]rivacy in America these days is an illusion." Well, Mr. Kaiser, "privacy" has always been an illusion. As long as someone else knows something about you, it is not private.

Most of this chapter is an ill-informed attack on law enforcement and a pandering to paranoia. The business, financial, educational, credit and health information on every US citizen is, for better or worse, an open book to those with the knowledge to access the information. To some extent, it has always been this way as anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows. The information age has made it easier, but in reality little has changed.

Overall, this is a mildly entertaining book about one man's troubles that contains a dollop of interesting tech information. Not the worst; not the best.

Jerry ... Read more

Product Description
The author presents a clear-sighted and sobering analysis of where we are today in the struggle against terrorism. Jenkins, an internationally renowned authority on terrorism, distills the jihadists• operational code and outlines a pragmatic but principled approach to defeating the terrorist enterprise. We need to build upon our traditions of determination and self-reliance, he argues, and above all, preserve our commitment to American values. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

What will it take to WIN THE WAR on terrorism?
If you want a good metaphor for the War on Terror, look no further than this scene from "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll. Alice is racing with the Queen of Hearts:

"In our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else - if you ran very fast for a long time, as we've been doing."

"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"

We've been running as fast as we can to defeat global terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, but are we getting anywhere? What's taking so long?

Brian Jenkins, one of the nation's premier experts on terrorism, addresses this frustrating problem in his book, "Unconquerable Nation." A former Special Forces officer, Jenkins pioneered the modern study of terrorism starting way back in 1972. Lately, he's been serving as a senior advisor to the President of the RAND Corporation. (His most recent book on nuclear terrorism was endorsed by leaders on both sides of the political spectrum.)

The United States is definitely capable of defeating terrorism, says Jenkins, but only if we approach the problem in a more sophisticated way.

First of all, he says, we must acknowledge that terrorism is not an existential threat to the United States in the same way that Soviet nuclear weapons clearly were. Secondly, we must realize that our greatest strength is our historical commitment to a free, open and democratic society. Abandoning our values in pursuit of more "security" is exactly the wrong thing to do, he says. In fact, the stark contrast between jihadist values and American values is one of our greatest weapons -- if we use it effectively. Thirdly, we must understand -- and then harness -- the principles of political warfare. Here's a brief summary:

Defeating terrorism is about winning "HUMAN terrain," not "physical terrain." We can't win by seizing a hilltop or bridge -- this isn't World War II or Belgium in 1917. Rather, we must use political warfare to defeat violent jihadism at its very core -- to demonstrate its moral bankruptcy to the very people who might be attracted to it. Winning through political warfare requires:

-- Understanding the cultural, religious and political forces that give rise to jihadism in places like Pakistan and Iraq.
-- Short-circuiting the jihadist recruiting networks at every opportunity.
-- Using more sophisticated methods to undercut jihadist propaganda.
-- Engaging both local and international allies more effectively.
-- Turning disaffected enemy fighters to our side whenever possible.
-- Highlighting the terrible truth about jihadism at every possible opportunity.

The jihadists have no real political agenda or plan, explains Jenkins. They offer little more than superficial idealism, misery and death.

Of course, political warfare walks hand-in-hand with military warfare, says Jenkins. They must complement each other, but all too often that hasn't been the case. The use of torture in places like Gitmo and Abu Ghraib only strengthens the enemy, he says, adding to their propaganda power and recruiting success. Similarly, the invasion of Iraq diverted much-needed resources away from the Afghan theater and provided yet another "I told you so" message for Al Qaeda leaders to broadcast worldwide.

As of this writing (May 2009), the resurgent Taliban are battling the Pakistani Army in the Swat Valley, displacing a million local residents. Several massive bombs went off in Iraq last week, killing dozens of civilians. And most Americans seem too afraid to move Gitmo prisoners from our base in Cuba to a SuperMax facility stateside. (Our nation of 300 million is afraid of a few bearded bad guys in a jail? Say what?)

Political warfare may very well be the key to winning this stubborn conflict -- if we have the patience and wisdom to follow advice from people like Brian Jenkins. Let's hope our leaders are listening.

Feels Disjointed
In a glutted marketplace, discerning readers will scrutinize each new book about terrorism by asking why this specific volume has been written and what unique contribution it makes, as stated by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Sadly, Jenkins's book fails to offer satisfactory answers to these questions. This is unfortunate because he is an experienced student of terrorism who over the years has made important contributions to the field.

The first chapter sheds light on the volume's disjointed feel, explaining that the book is a collection of the briefings, memoranda, and essays that Jenkins, senior advisor to the president of the RAND Corporation, has written since 9-11. "Reviewing my own work," Jenkins states, "I find that certain basic themes recur." But the ten themes he lists are largely unrelated and do not comprise a coherent idea or theory.

Jenkins does manage to organize the book loosely around the idea of how the United States can be an "unconquerable nation" in its battle against terrorism (the term is taken from a saying of Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, who argued that "being unconquerable lies with yourself"). Jenkins' main prescriptions are inner resolve or "stoicism in the face of threats," preservation of such American values as the prohibition of torture, and smarter, more effective counterterrorism.

Although Jenkins's argumentation is overly sparse (the reader is frequently forced to take his word on assertions that are made without supporting evidence), his writing is lucid, and he makes many intelligent points. One of his more interesting observations involves the current threat "feedback loop" wherein analysts trumpet America's vulnerabilities in testimony and reports, and in turn, terrorists--who "do not live on another planet"--incorporate these vulnerabilities into strategic discussions. "When our intelligence in turn learns what terrorists are talking about," Jenkins observes, "the feedback loop is completed, seeming to confirm our own worst fears."

Other interesting passages include an analysis of President George W. Bush's failure to mobilize the American citizenry to play a role in homeland security after 9-11, a counter-intuitive defense of the pervasive official press conferences about possible terrorist threats, and an explanation of advantages that could be gained by persuading detainees to publicly turn against Al-Qaeda. Yet such smart arguments should have been presented in shorter form: The book's desultory feel will disappoint all but the most dedicated readers.

Sober and sobering account of terrorism anno 2006
Brian Michael Jenkins is perhaps the number one US expert on terrorism and thus writes with almost peerless authority. Those who have studied the terrorism literature will know that he was the one who coined the much quoted phrase "terrorists want a lot of people watching, not a lot of people dead" back in 1975 (he revised this opinion later).

Jenkins is also a good writer. This book reads easily and shouldn't be too hard to get through or too boring for anyone, I imagine. I recommend Unconquerable Nation without reservations as perhaps the best summary of the threat from terrorism at the present date.

The Best Analysis of the Situation I've Read
Mr. Jenkins seems to be very well qualified to write about this subject, since the study of terrorism has been his career at the Rand Corporation for many years. I like that he doesn't appear to support either political party; there's no finger pointing. Yet, he clearly states and explains what a big mistake it was to take out Saddam Hussein. First he tells us what and who we should be fighting. Instead of just merely saying that these 'folks' are very evil and should be eradicated, he explains what motivates them. We learn that our enemy has been brainwashed to believe that God wants them to kill or at least create havoc for all infidels (the West, their sympathizers and other nonbelievers in their militant brand of Islam). Jenkins doesn't have an opinion about whether or not we should now leave Iraq. Fighting this enemy won't be over whether we quickly leave Iraq or annihilate the entire country of Iraq or something in between these two scenarios. That's because our enemy is all over the world and won't be deterred by anything we do just in Iraq. We need to change the murderous thinking of our enemy. Sort of doing some reverse brainwashing. We need to work on breaking down their recruiting machine while also trying to physically destroy them and their supporters wherever in the world we discover them. The author accepts that 'winning' this war will take many years. The author has many suggestions how to go about doing this. We need to fight this war from many different directions. In the mean time, we need to get used to occasional horrible events happening. He doesn't think that our enemy (the Jihadists as he calls them) will try anything too horrific on us. If they launch nuclear weapons on us, then they know that we would return the favor by wiping out entire regions of the world where they reside; which will be counterproductive even to our death loving Jihadists. I personally am not so sure of this. I believe that our world may not survive if our enemy gets too far along with their weaponry. Nonetheless, I think the author's book should especially be read by our current and would be future national leaders. Also, those that plan to vote in our next Presidential election, or others that want to actively, in any way they choose, help the non-Jihadists win this war, should read this book. Our nation's future existence, as we know it, might depend upon following the approaches suggested in this book to eventually defeat the Jihadists and their way of thinking.

Read THIS book... then you'll KNOW what's going on!!
The author (Brian Jenkins) writes, not only with authority, (but then who doesn't these days?), but also in a way that makes this debacle and it's potential solutions, (and ongoing difficulties), crystal clear to even a neophyte.

I've read other of his works and this is, easily, not only his best but one that can also be read and understood quite clearly though the reader may be neither in the terrorism industry, (and it is, so deal with that reality), nor particularly interested in this field beyond mere daily survival and continuing ability to go about one's business relatively undisturbed.

The book deserves a wider audience if only for its thoroughness, readability and pinpoint clarity about what has become an ever too real part of our daily lives.

I've never written a review before... this author is truly talented in his ability to create understanding and a sense of personal efficacy, rather than consternation, where once concern and mystification may have resided.

Kudos. ... Read more

Product Description
Changes in technology and adversary behavior will invariably produce new threats that must be assessed by defense and homeland security planners.An example of such a novel threat is the use of cruise missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by terrorist groups. Individual threats cannot be assessed in isolation, however, since adversaries always have many options for staging attacks. To examine this threat, RAND utilized a ?red analysis of alternatives? approach, wherein the benefits, costs, and risks of different options are considered from the point of view of a potential adversary.For several types of attacks, the suitability of these systems was compared against other options. This approach can help defense planners understand how the capabilities that different attack modes provide address key adversary operational problems. Given the insights this analysis produced about when these systems would likely be preferred by an attacker, RAND explored defensive options to address the threat. UAVs and cruise missiles represent a ?niche threat? within a larger threat context; therefore, defenses were sought that provide common protection against both this and other asymmetric threats. The monograph concludes with a discussion of cross-cutting lessons about this threat and the assessment of novel threats in general. ... Read more

Product Description
Defrauding Ameerica, written by a former government agent with input from dozens of others, provides an encylclpedia of secret operations by various units of the United States government. Drug smuggling, murder, treachery, and much more. ... Read more

Product Description
By almost any measure, the United States is the most powerful nation in the history of civilization. Our resources are immense. But, they are not limitless. Today, national security requires agility to stay a step ahead of threats that can rapidly appear and change, and endurance to deal with challengers that are unlikely to disappear anytime soon. The central question for U.S. leaders today is how can we retain our strategic advantage and continue to set the agenda for world affairs? All our other goals - promoting freedom, prosperity, human rights, and ensuring the security of Americans - depend on getting the fundamentals right."Strategic Advantage: Challengers, Competitors, and Threats to America's Future" is a concise and provocative analysis of national security policy today - and tomorrow. Drawing on history and contemporary examples, Bruce Berkowitz deftly identifies those countries, groups, and movements that pose the greatest challenges to the United States and suggests ways to deal with them.He lucidly analyzes the components of national power - economic clout, military capability, and cultural influence - that America must sustain if it hopes to sustain its position in the world in the decades ahead."Strategic Advantage" outlines how the United States can stay ahead of potential threats by drawing on the distinctively American culture that rewards entrepreneurship and supports a strong military; by promoting economic growth at home and competing for talent and capital from abroad; by fixing the national security command structure; and, by adopting a national strategy that balances goals, costs, and risks. With pacing, foresight, and planning, Berkowitz says, the United States can sustain its global leadership for the long haul. ... Read more

Product Description
This study examines how terrorist groups transition to insurgencies and identifies ways to combat proto-insurgents.It describes the steps groups must take to gain the size and capabilities of insurgencies, the role of outside state support, and actions governments can take to prevent potential insurgencies from blossoming. The most effective U.S. counterinsurgency action would be to anticipate the possibility of insurgencies developing; it could then provide training and advisory programs and inhibit outsides support. ... Read more

Product Description
Examines al-Qaeda•s evolution and the emergence of the broader global jihadist movement-groups affiliated, associated, or inspired by al-Qaeda-and the threat that they pose to the United States and U.S. allies and interests. The authors conclude by setting out a four-pronged strategy to counter the jihadist threat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Much Needed Study
Following the tragedy of 9/11, the U.S. Air Force sponsored a study by the RAND Corporation of the phenomenon of terrorism that is the terrorist organizations and operations that constituted a threat to national security. This study was completed in 2004 and published as a two volume book set in 2006. The Rand team that put this study together did what the U.S. Intelligence Community IC) has so conspicuously failed to do; that is analyze the structural organization, ideology, financial structure, leadership of the al Qaeda and other groups that are affiliated with Osama bin Laden and track both their organizational and operational evolution. The common factor that they believe these groups hold is their adherence to an ideology referred to as "Jiahdist-Salifism" by Gilles Kepel in his book "Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam" (Harvard 2002) which he defines as " respect for the sacred texts in their most literal form [and] an absolute commitment to Jihad."Perhaps their key finding was that with the loss of their Afghan sanctuary, al Qaeda transformed into what another Rand study ("Networks and Netwars" Arquilla et al 2001) called a network type of organization and bin Laden with his immediate entourage transformed from a central command into more of a symbolic and ideological center. The network type of organization which the authors of this study refer to (perhaps more accurately) as the "al Qaeda Nebula" is an organization consisting of groups and individuals focused around several common themes and the "Jihadist-Salifism" ideology. They are held together through such 21st Century devices as the Internet and cell phones. With bin Laden serving as the nominal leader and more importantly as a living symbol of their ideology. This study of course provides considerably more information on al Qaeda modus operandi, financing, and strategic goals all of which appears to be pretty accurate.One would think this would be required reading for the folks manning the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), but very unlikely. ... Read more