New Releases by Ali H. Soufan

The definitive account of an FBI special agent’s al-Qaeda story, unredacted for the first time. Widely heralded on publication as a "must-read" (Military Review) and "important window on America’s battle with al-Qaeda" (Washington Post), Ali Soufan’s revelatory account of the war on terror as seen from its front lines changed the way we understand al-Qaeda and how the United States prosecuted the war—and led to hard questions being asked of our leaders. When The Black Banners was published in 2011, significant portions of the text were redacted. After subsequent review by the Central Intelligence Agency, those redactions have been lifted. Their removal corrects the record on how vital intelligence was obtained from al-Qaeda suspects and brings forth important new details on the controversial use of enhanced interrogation techniques (torture) to extract information from terror suspects. For many years, proponents of the use of these techniques have argued that they produced actionable intelligence in the war on terror. This edition of The Black Banners explodes this myth; it shows Soufan at work using guile and intelligent questioning—not force or violence—to extract some of the most important confessions in the war, and it vividly recounts the failures of the government’s torture program. Drawing on Soufan’s experiences as a lead operative for the FBI and declassified government records, The Black Banners (Declassified) documents the intelligence failures that lead to the tragic attacks on New York and Washington, DC, and subsequently how torture derailed the fight against al-Qaeda. With this edition, eighteen years on from the first sanctioned enhanced interrogation technique, the public can finally read the complete story of what happened in their name after the events of 9/11. The Black Banners (Declassified) includes a new foreword from Ali Soufan that addresses the significance of the CIA’s decision to lift the redactions.

A compelling, definitive account of how and why bin Laden’s ideology keeps rising from the dead. In early 2011, the heart of the Muslim world roiled in protest, consumed with the upheaval of the Arab Spring. The governments of Tunisia and Egypt had already fallen; those of Libya and Yemen would soon follow. Watching the chaos from his hideout in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden saw a historic opportunity: “the next stage,” he declared, “will be the reinstating of the rule of the caliphate.” Within weeks, bin Laden was dead, shot in the dark by a U.S. Navy SEAL. Commentators around the world began to prophesy al-Qaeda’s imminent demise. But six years later, the reality is the reverse. The group’s affiliates have swollen, and the Islamic State—al-Qaeda’s most brutal spinoff to date—proclaims itself the reborn caliphate bin Laden foretold in his final weeks. In Anatomy of Terror, former FBI special agent and New York Times best-selling author Ali Soufan dissects bin Laden’s brand of jihadi terrorism and its major offshoots, revealing how these organizations were formed, how they operate, their strengths, and—crucially—their weaknesses. This riveting account examines the new Islamic radicalism through the eyes of its flag-bearers, including a Jordanian former drug dealer whose cruelties shocked even his fellow militants, an Air Force colonel who once served Saddam Hussein, and a provincial bookworm who declared himself caliph of all Muslims. We meet Ayman al-Zawahiri, titular head of al-Qaeda; Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian ex-soldier who faked his own death to become the group’s security chief; and bin Laden’s own beloved son Hamza, a prime candidate to lead the organization his late father founded. To eliminate the scourge of terrorism, we must first know who the enemy actually is, and what his motivations are. Anatomy of Terror lays bare the psychology and inner workings of al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and their spawn, and shows how the spread of terror can be stopped.

"As a new presidential administration takes the reins in Washington, and as the United Kingdom begins exiting the European Union, 2017 promises to bring dramatic and unpredictable change. In the Middle East, after decades of brutal conflict, poor governance, increasing sectarianism, and economic malaise, Muslim-majority states remain caught between conflicting interpretations of their Islamic foundations. Across the region, sectarian theological differences are compounded by powers with ambitions of regional domination and their weaponization of religion in pursuit of political aims, a trend that shows no sign of slowing in 2017. In the West, economic instability, mass migration, political dysfunction, and foreign security crises have enabled the rise of populist movements, testing the commitment of Western countries to pluralist values. In the context of these intra-civilizational identity crises, the liberal international order faces increasing strain. These pressures are exacerbated by long-running conflicts and expanding power vacuums, Russia''s resurgence on the world stage, Europe''s struggle to define relations with its neighbors, and a U.S. presidential administration set to dramatically revise American foreign policy. In 2017, the instability of the West will contribute to increasing strain on the economic, political, and security foundations of the international order that have underpinned global security since the end of the Second World War. The U.S. retreat from its role as leader of the international economic order could create large-scale volatility. The continued fragmentation of the EU will likely further undermine the appeal of multi-lateral global institutions. Growing uncertainty is likely to strain relations between states, potentially making them vulnerable to exploitation by revisionist powers such as Russia and China. Non-state actors -- such as ultra-nationalist hate groups and terrorist organizations -- will also seize the opportunity to undermine the legitimacy and control of central governments and to promote their extreme ideologies. As a result, states will be forced to focus increasingly on threats within their borders, to the detriment of international cooperation. With these challenges in mind, this paper discusses the outlook for religion, conflict, and geopolitics in the year ahead. While not an exhaustive list, these issues represent some of the most significant challenges to international stability in 2017"--Page 1.

A book that will change the way we think about al-Qaeda, intelligence, and the events that forever changed America.