The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda

Paints Broad and Compelling Canvas

Fawaz Gerges has written a compelling and detailed analysis of Al-Qaeda, the broader Middle East, and American foreign and security policy related to both. At its core this most well written and read-able book (it is absorbing enough to be finished in an evening) is an up-to-date study of key personalities and events of bin Laden's organization and its development and decline. Based on numerous interviews and an awareness of the broader literature on the topic, this study measures the strengths and weaknesses of Al-Qaeda against a well-painted portrait of today's events and motive forces in the Middle East. It is full of recent history as well as contemporary references to the Arab Spring, drone attacks, bin Laden's killing, and their influence from the Pakistani rimlands to Libya. As important is the book's very insightful analysis of the evolution of America's security and foreign policy toward the region, under both the Bush and Obama administrations, that followed the original 9/11 events. Gerges' book, full of accessible critcal analysis and opinion, would be an excellent addition to any university seminar on the topic. It would also serve as a solid introduction to a casual reader wanting to enrich their own understanding of today's world. Read more