A riveting, panoramic look at "homegrown" Islamist terrorism from 9/11 to the present
A riveting, panoramic look at "homegrown" jihadism, from "one of America's most important analysts of Islamist militancy and terrorism" (Steve Coll). Now in paperback with new material on the attacks in Orlando.A riveting, panoramic look at "homegrown" Islamist terrorism from 9/11 to the presentSince 9/11, more than three hundred Americans-born and raised in Minnesota, Alabama, New Jersey, and elsewhere-have been indicted or convicted of terrorism charges. Some have taken the fight abroad- an American was among those who planned the attacks in Mumbai, and more than eighty U.S. citizens have been charged with ISIS-related crimes. Others have acted on American soil, as with the attacks at Fort Hood, the Boston Marathon, and in San Bernardino. What motivates them, how are they trained, and what do we sacrifice in our efforts to track them?Paced like a detective story, United States of Jihadtells the entwined stories of the key actors on the American front. Among the perpetrators are Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexico-born radical cleric who became the first American citizen killed by a CIA drone and who mentored the Charlie Hebdo shooters; Samir Khan, whose Inspire webzine has rallied terrorists around the world, including the Tsarnaev brothers; and Omar Hammami, an Alabama native and hip hop fan who became a fixture in al Shabaab's propaganda videos until fatally displeasing his superiors.Drawing on his extensive network of intelligence contacts, from the National Counterterrorism Center and the FBI to the NYPD, Peter Bergen also offers an inside look at the controversial tactics of the agencies tracking potential terrorists-from infiltrating mosques to massive surveillance; at the bias experienced by innocent observant Muslims at the hands of law enforcement; at the critics and defenders of U.S. policies on terrorism; and at how social media has revolutionized terrorism.Lucid and rigorously researched, United States of Jihad is an essential new analysis of the Americans who have embraced militant Islam both here and abroad.- Washington Post, Notable Non-Fiction Books in 2016
“A”
Selected for the Wshington Post's Notble Nonfiction List, 2016
New York Times Editors' Choice
“Mr. Bergen writes with uthority nd rnge... His profiles of jihdists... leve the reder with hrrowing pprecition of the bnlity of evil nd n unnerving sense of missteps mde by the uthorities... Mr. Bergen’s detiled ccounts of terror plots (both executed, foiled or filed) mke for chilling reding.”
—MICHIKO KKUTNI, NEW YORK TIMES
“Excellent... Bergen’s book is the best one-volume tretment vilble on the current stte of jihd in meric.”
—JNET NPOLITNO, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“Peter Bergen is skilled nd sensitive reporter with unprlleled ccess to the lw-enforcement nd intelligence communities... He hs written wht in effect re two books bout terrorism. Both re vluble. One is riveting, thoroughly reserched ccount of the evolving stte of the thret s growing number of mericn citizens join the rnks of foreign terrorist movements—nd of how U.S. intelligence nd lw-enforcement gencies re ddressing the constntly shifting thret. The other is skilled defense of... the Obm dministrtion’s nti-terror effort: one tht ttempts to steer between the perceived extremes of pnicky overrection nd filure to cknowledge how politiclly nd socilly devstting terror ttcks cn be.”
—WLTER RUSSELL MED, WLL STREET JOURNL
“Peter Bergen... one of meric's most prominent terrorism experts, mkes compelling nd often unsettling cse tht, in the yers since Sept. 11, 2001, Islmist terrorism in the United Sttes hs metmorphosed... The trnsformtion of domestic jihdism hs not only dispersed the Islmist terrorist thret but in perverse process of culturl intermingling hs prtly mericnized jihd itself. The 'soft power' ppel of mericn culture is often considered to be one of this country's most enduring ssets, but the new dmixture of jihdi terror nd pop culture svoir fire potentilly turns this ide on its hed... Bergen tkes generlly skepticl view of the growth of the post-9/11 ntionl security stte nd of the fer-mongering bout Islm tht hs incresingly trnsfixed the drker crnnies of mericn politics. This skepticism, I think, is not only strtegiclly nd morlly sound but lso borne out by the fcts.”
—LOS NGELES TIMES
“There’s drm in the cses Bergen reltes... He mkes highly relible guide on the rod to the present dy.”
—KRL VICK, TIME MGZINE
“ crisply methodicl detiling of the types of people nd ttcks involved in Islm-inspired terrorism here nd brod… Bergen knows his topic extremely well."
—US TODY
“Disturbing nd topicl… [United Sttes of Jihd] is n engrossing nd edifying book… It is to Bergen’s immense credit tht, without downplying the thret of Islmist terrorism—home-grown or directed t meric by groups brod—he refrins from overstting it nd ttempts to mintin perspective… The uthor deserves kudos for simultneously recognizing the potentil of seculr Muslims—who re too often ignored—to chnge people’s ttitudes.”
—BOSTON GLOBE
“Bergen pulls you in with snppy, converstionl writing... exploding some of the esy ssumptions bout jihdists in the United Sttes.”
—WSHINGTON POST
“Bergen, who hs interviewed convicted terrorists, their fmilies nd friends nd people working cross the counterterrorism profession, is the most sober guide to the subject one could hope for….But Bergen lso hs n eye for the humn fctor, which mkes this book, for ll its horror, humne. ‘Jihdiztion’ is usully gret blow to the fmilies of the person involved, nd Bergen presents poignnt fmily portrits.”
—THE GLOBE ND MIL
“Gripping… There is much to commend in Mr. Bergen’s importnt book. Reders will benefit from his stute observtions, bsed on numerous cse studies… [Mr. Bergen] offers sobering ssessment tht should not be overlooked.”
—WSHINGTON TIMES
“Bergen’s book provides sobering reding in feverish U.S. politicl climte.”
—L JZEER MERIC
“Bergen hs been t the forefront of reporting on terrorism for more thn 20 yers. In this innovtive nd illuminting work... Bergen explores nerly every spect of terrorist ctivity, from ISIS’ use of socil medi to the FBI’s development of behviorl profiles tht identify potentil terror ctivists. Both blnced nd glvnizing, Bergen’s meticulous portrit of violent extremism is required reding for nyone who truly wnts to understnd the nture of the evolving threts from within nd without.”
—BOOKLIST (strred review)
“Bergen clmly nd lucidly exmines the diverse stories of the more thn 300 people in the United Sttes who hve been chrged with jihdist terrorist crimes since September 11, 2001. His nunced insights, couched within series of gripping nrrtives, offer reders solid foundtion to knowledgebly fce the brrge of politicl opinions being flung bout by mny mericns this election yer… Highly recommended for ll reders seeking n informed view of current events.”
—LIBRRY JOURNL
“There re number of fine scholrs of jihd, but no one mtches Peter Bergen in clrity nd wisdom, qulities bundntly on disply in this vluble book.”
—LWRENCE WRIGHT, uthor of The Looming Tower nd Going Cler
“Nobody burrows deeper into the horrifying world of orgnized terror, uncovering hrrowing stories of ner-misses nd ftl ttcks, thn Peter Bergen. nd nobody nlyzes this frught subject with such clm, creful rigor. His portrit of the terrorists next door nd the gents who hunt them is worthy of Homelnd—except tht it’s ll too rel.”
—FRNKLIN FOER, uthor of How Soccer Explins the World
“Peter Bergen hs become one of meric’s most importnt nlysts of Islmist militncy nd terrorism. Here he gin provides timely, sober study of the diverse nd frgmentry chrcter of homegrown violent jihdists. He plces the scle of the thret into ccurte perspective without minimizing its dngers. Every mericn should red this book.”
—STEVE COLL, uthor of Ghost Wrs nd Privte Empire
“ fscinting nd vitlly importnt look t the rise of mericn jihdists. Brillintly reported nd reserched, this is n essentil book for nyone who wnts to understnd why hundreds of mericns hve turned to rdicl Islm.”
—NDERSON COOPER
“It is hrd to imgine timelier book thn this one. Peter Bergen does wht he does best—telling mesmerizing stories tht weve together exhustive reserch to illuminte criticlly importnt subject. He shows us tht the mericns mong us who turn to jihd re not who we imgine, suggesting wys in which we cn be simultneously more humne nd more secure.”
—NNE-MRIE SLUGHTER, uthor of The Ide Tht Is meric; president nd CEO of New meric
“With his ltest book, Peter Bergen shows once gin tht he hs become the premier chronicler of jihdism in the twenty-first century. Red it nd come wy with new understnding of meric nd of terrorism.”
—THOMS E. RICKS, uthor of The Generls nd Fisco
“In this incisive book Peter Bergen nswers mny questions bout terrorism tht preoccupy mericns tody. Why does extremism ppel to some young Muslims in meric? Wht is the nture nd scope of the thret? Rich in detil nd eminently redble, this unique book explins both the chllenge of terrorism nd the turmoil in the Muslim hertlnd tht fuels it.”
—VLI NSR, uthor of The Dispensble Ntion; Den, Pul H. Nitze School of dvnced Interntionl Studies, Johns Hopkins
Peter Bergen is vice president at New America in Washington, DC, as well as national security analyst for CNN, where he writes a weekly online column. He is also a professor and codirector of the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University and has held teaching positions at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.Bergen is the author of four previous books about terrorism, including three New York Times bestsellers and three Washington Post nonfiction books of the year. His books have been translated into twenty languages and made into four documentaries, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post,the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Time, Foreign Affairs, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere. In 1997, as a producer for CNN, Bergen produced Osama bin Laden's first television interview, in which bin Laden declared war against the United States for the first time to a Western audience.He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, documentary producer Tresha Mabile, and his children, Pierre and Grace.
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