Search for Al Qaeda

Bruce Riedel is a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program and the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. He served in the U.S. intelligence community for nearly thirty years, and at the request of President Obama, he chaired an interagency review of policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan for the White House that was completed in March 2009.

"Riedel manages to distill the essence of al Qaeda in just 150 pages." — New York Times Book Review|"Riedel's argument in favor of greater U.S. involvement in the Arab-Israelipeace process is persuasive, and his prescriptions are well-evidenced, unfailinglysound, and refreshingly sensible." — Publishers Weekly|" The Search for al Qaeda is in parts alarming and in parts reassuring.... Ina literature tending towards either the blithe or the fatalistic, Riedel's bookstands out." — Financial Times|""[Riedel] understands al Qaeda for what it is: a set of highly effective leaderswho have created a compelling narrative (based partly on American misstepsin the Muslim world) and a remarkably resilient organizational structure thatseduces a small group of young Muslims to destroy in a highly strategic manner." —Eboo Patel, Washington Post "On Faith"|"Provides several sensible recommendations, such as making a renewed effort tosettle the festering disputes over Palestine and Kashmir." — The Economist|"The useful information, wide-ranging knowledge, and important insightwithin this short book are extremely impressive. A reader cannot help thinkingthat U.S. leaders were well-served by Riedel's analysis throughout his yearsin government (even in cases where it was not heeded)." — Parameters