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29 reviews for:
The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda
Ali H. Soufan
4.21 AVERAGE
29 reviews for:
The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda
Ali H. Soufan
4.21 AVERAGE
dark
informative
slow-paced
Very good book. For the longest time, I worried that I was that I was rereading a book, but it turns out it is as well written as The Looming Tower, but not the same text.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
"The Looming Tower" remains the definitive source on events leading up to 9/11 and Soufan mostly repeats these facts. However, I greatly enjoyed the anecdotes about his unusual rise in the FBI.
This is a fascinating, heartbreaking story about the successes and failures of the intelligence community in fighting terrorism. Ali Soufan is a true hero.
Very informative and very aggravating at the same time. Everyone who is interested in the battle against terrorism should read this book and be aware of the many failings, particularly by the CIA. It will also have a major impact on how you view the use of torture to get intelligence information.
Great read that reminded me of all the mistakes that were made before and after 9/11 and how much the world has changed since then.
What an incredible read. The content from an important insider like Ali Soufan is vast and eye-opening, even 22 years after the fact. What's even more interesting is comparing the classified edition and the unclassified edition to see just how petty the CIA's redactions were. CIA's redactions include redacting "I" [Ali] to reduce Ali's accomplishments, redacting Ali's criticisms of the CIA, and redacting the word 'chief' when mentioning [CIA Chief] in to cover up for the CIA Station Chief in Sana'a, Yemen at the time. Couldn't find the CIA Yemen Chief's name anywhere online so I think he's still in the CIA.
Excellent book on Al Qaeda. A bit confusing, as all al-Qaeda operatives seem to have three names: their given name, an alias and a nickname. But its worth the hassle, as it gives not just the history of the al-Qaeda movement (it's older than you think) but also explains why "enhanced" interrogation doesn't work.