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Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State by Ali H. Soufan
clarkf87's review
5.0
I should have bought this book instead of borrow it from the library since I pretty much took notes on every sentence over the last half of it. His editorial section of the book is absolutely fascinating, eye opening, terrifying, and hopeful all at the same time. Hopeful because Ali Soufan has proposed a complex, long-term (and, to some, obvious) solution of how to stop terrorism growth and bring about its eventual death. Unfortunately still terrifying as he confirms the Trump administration’s Muslim ban and other poor decisions are continuing to make the terrorist groups’ narrative only stronger to recruit and destruct, and the West’s fear of Muslims grow at a heartbreaking and alarming rate.
By the time you come to know the terrorist leaders from the pages of Soufan’s encounters and research, you begin to ask yourself, is this really even about religion anymore? Do they even believe in God? The choices and rhetoric suggest they are atheists without a conscience on a power trip. That’s because there’s nothing Islamic about terrorism.
The real-life terrorists of this book haunted my dreams for the grueling three months it took me to read and digest it, but if this topic interests you at all, it is a must-read. Fingers crossed the leading governments of the world consider this expert advice.
The Hydra Analogy:
"Under our current approach, it seems that, no matter how many times we defeat al-Qaeda on the field of battle, it keeps coming back to life stronger than before. Hercules faced a similar test when he fought the Lernaean Hydra. After a few rounds of lopping off heads, he realized that the sword alone would not get the job done. So he called for help, not from another mythological hero like himself, but from his humble charioteer, who wielded a brand to cauterize the neck and prevent another head from sprouting. Al-Qaeda’s “neck,” the attribute that, more than any other, allows it to keep growing new heads ad infinitum, is its narrative: the message it uses to attract new recruits from all over the world. When I heard the news of bin Laden’s death, I was determined that the United Sates should not assume that al-Qaeda was finished."
By the time you come to know the terrorist leaders from the pages of Soufan’s encounters and research, you begin to ask yourself, is this really even about religion anymore? Do they even believe in God? The choices and rhetoric suggest they are atheists without a conscience on a power trip. That’s because there’s nothing Islamic about terrorism.
The real-life terrorists of this book haunted my dreams for the grueling three months it took me to read and digest it, but if this topic interests you at all, it is a must-read. Fingers crossed the leading governments of the world consider this expert advice.
The Hydra Analogy:
"Under our current approach, it seems that, no matter how many times we defeat al-Qaeda on the field of battle, it keeps coming back to life stronger than before. Hercules faced a similar test when he fought the Lernaean Hydra. After a few rounds of lopping off heads, he realized that the sword alone would not get the job done. So he called for help, not from another mythological hero like himself, but from his humble charioteer, who wielded a brand to cauterize the neck and prevent another head from sprouting. Al-Qaeda’s “neck,” the attribute that, more than any other, allows it to keep growing new heads ad infinitum, is its narrative: the message it uses to attract new recruits from all over the world. When I heard the news of bin Laden’s death, I was determined that the United Sates should not assume that al-Qaeda was finished."
jacoblangham's review
5.0
The best book i’ve ever read on the Middle East. Mind blowing! Couldn’t stop reading, finished in about 3 nights!
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