Overview

As America’s global war on terrorism continues, statistics concerning terrorist attacks show a disturbing trend: from a twenty-one-year high in 2003, attacks tripled in 2004 and then doubled in 2005. And as the incidence of terrorist attacks increased, so has the number of terrorists. While the primary leaders of the Taliban, al Qaeda, and al Qaeda in Iraq remain at large, a 2006 Department of Defense study reportedly identified thirty new al Qaeda–affiliated terrorist groups that have been created since September 11, 2001.   We may not have metrics that measure our success in the war on terrorism, but these realities certainly illuminate our failures. In Thinking Like a Terrorist, former FBI counterterrorism agent Mike German contends that the overarching problem is a fundamental failure to understand the terrorists—namely, what they want and how they intend to get it. When our counterterrorism policies are driven by misunderstanding and misperception, we shouldn’t be surprised at the results. Today’s terrorists have a real plan—a blueprint that has brought them victory in the past—that they are executing to perfection; moreover, their plan is published and available to anyone who bothers to read it. Once the terrorists’ plan is understood, we can develop and implement more effective counterterrorism strategies. A former undercover agent who infiltrated neo-Nazi terrorist groups in the United States, German explains the terrorist’s point of view and discusses ways to counter the terrorism threat. Based on his unusual experience in the field, Thinking Like a Terrorist provides unique insights into why terrorism is such a persistent and difficult problem and why the U.S. approach to counterterrorism isn’t working.  

Full Product Details

9781597970266

Table of Contents

Reviews

By infiltrating them as an FBI agent, Mike German learned firsthand how terrorist groups work, and he brought their members to justice without violating the law or the Constitution. He now lays bare the fundamental errors made by the U.S. government after 9/11, showing how it has exaggerated the nature of the terrorist threat, reduced the effectiveness of the West's response, undermined our core ethical values, and so increased future vulnerability. Written with the clarity of an airport thriller and the insight conferred by both operational experience and deep study, Thinking Like a Terrorist is a brilliant and necessary book that we cannot afford to ignore. - David Rose, contributing editor, Vanity Fair, and author of Guantanamo: The War on Human Rights Riveting, informative, and insightful. Only someone who 'was a terrorist' could achieve this as well as warn of dangers to our way of life. - Steve Salmieri, former chief, FBI Undercover Sensitive Operations Unit German's brilliant and heroic strategy to overcome terrorism may surprise all but the true patriots among us.... A timely and superbly conceived book, written by a champion of justice, that everyone should read and take to heart. - Stephen R. Band, former chief, FBI Behavioral Science Unit

"""By infiltrating them as an FBI agent, Mike German learned firsthand how terrorist groups work, and he brought their members to justice without violating the law or the Constitution. He now lays bare the fundamental errors made by the U.S. government after 9/11, showing how it has exaggerated the nature of the terrorist threat, reduced the effectiveness of the West's response, undermined our core ethical values, and so increased future vulnerability. Written with the clarity of an airport thriller and the insight conferred by both operational experience and deep study, Thinking Like a Terrorist is a brilliant and necessary book that we cannot afford to ignore."" - David Rose, contributing editor, Vanity Fair, and author of Guantanamo: The War on Human Rights ""Riveting, informative, and insightful. Only someone who 'was a terrorist' could achieve this as well as warn of dangers to our way of life."" - Steve Salmieri, former chief, FBI Undercover Sensitive Operations Unit ""German's brilliant and heroic strategy to overcome terrorism may surprise all but the true patriots among us.... A timely and superbly conceived book, written by a champion of justice, that everyone should read and take to heart."" - Stephen R. Band, former chief, FBI Behavioral Science Unit"""

Author Information

Mike German left the FBI after blowing the whistle on the agency’s mishandling of a terrorism investigation. A former undercover agent and counterterrorism instructor at the FBI National Academy, he is currently a senior fellow at GlobalSecurity.org. He lives in the Middle Atlantic region.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available