Terrorism, armed struggle Books

Book SynopsisThis is an account of how an angry young man can cross the line that divides theoretical support for violence from a state of 'killing rage', in which the murder of neighbour becomes thinkable. Over 3000 people have died in Northern Ireland since 1969, and most of them have died at the hands of their neighbours. The intimacy of the Ulster conflict, what it means to carry out a political murder when in all probability the victim is personally known, or lives in a nearby street, is described accurately by an honest participant. The book does not attempt to soften the impact of the events it describes through euphemism or rhetoric. It is a truthful picture of the brutality and waste caused by the IRA's unwinnable campaign, and of its human consequences. It is also a self-portrait of the despair and disintegration, the hardening to conscience and grief, that accompany political violence.Trade ReviewEamon Collins's book is the most devastating account we have of what actually went on within the IRA during its years of 'armed struggle'. Collins revealed the banality, the ignorance and psychotic inhumanity of the little men pumped up into village Napoleons by the Troubles -- Fintan O’Toole * The Independent on Sunday *The most convincing honest book ever written about the IRA -- Jim Cusack * The Irish Times *A moving, even thrilling book... I would recommend it very strongly indeed * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisJakarta, 2014. Hendra is ?Radikal'', a techno DJ at the top of his game. In his relentless pursuit of new highs, he likes to lose himself in music and drugs. But when a childhood trauma resurfaces, even his love for Jasmine cannot prevent him from falling into a self-destructive downward spiral. As he grapples with his inner demons and an Indonesia caught between tradition and modernity, Hendra is vulnerable to the extremist ideology that begins to infiltrate his world. No longer able to find solace in techno and ecstasy, he is presented with a new purpose in life and a focus for his pent-up rage: jihad.

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Book SynopsisBy 2014, the world had grown weary of Iraq and its troubles. The Americans had all but gone and the media had turned its gaze towards Syria, but Iraq's problems were far from over. That same year, ISIS put Iraq back on the map as they crossed the border from Syria and rampaged through the country, kidnapping, raping and killing, all in the name of enforcing their murderous interpretation of Sharia law. Terror had arrived and was taking the region in its grip. Saddam Hussein, the occupation, sectarian war, corruption and political instability had collectively laid the groundwork for further violence, and Iraqis were about to see the worst of it. It was against this backdrop that Haider al-Abadi became Prime Minister. What would likely be the most formidable task of his life lay ahead of him: to help unify his homeland's fractured military and politics and, slowly, to turn the tide on ISIS, ultimately achieving what once seemed an impossible victory. This is the definitive and fascinating true story of how the people of Iraq took on and eventually defeated ISIS, told by the country's former Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi.Trade Review"Impossible Victory is the definitive memoir of Iraq's effort to save its people and many other would-be victims from the most destructive terrorist organisation in history. But it is also a compelling story of a life lived well despite the trauma and tumult that has stricken Iraq over the past half-century. It is clear that the author, former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, was the right leader at the right time. This book should be read by anyone interested in the recent history of Iraq and the Middle East, as well as anyone who wants to learn how to lead in extremis." - Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster, former US national security advisor and author of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World "I remember meeting Mr al-Abadi as French minister of defence, when he was Prime Minister of Iraq. His determination to fight terrorism was striking, and so was his vision during some of Iraq's darkest hours. As the French minister for Europe and foreign affairs, I am now proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqi people and our allies around the world in favour of justice and the fight against terrorism. France will always be a steady partner in this battle. This book, which reflects on Mr al-Abadi's time as Prime Minister of Iraq, casts a historical light on a decisive era. It will be valuable for anyone wishing to have a deeper perspective on how things happened in Iraq in the fight against Daesh." - Jean-Yves Le Drian, French minister for Europe and foreign affairs "Impossible Victory is Haider al-Abadi's engaging, highly personal memoir, taking in his childhood in Baghdad, his opposition to Saddam Hussein and his years in exile in the UK. But the heart of the book is his time as Prime Minister of Iraq during the fight against Daesh. It is a remarkable inside story of the war from the perspective of the Iraqi Commander-in-Chief. Fascinating, very readable and recommended." - Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor

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Book SynopsisThis book examines key cases of terrorist violence to show that the invention of terrorism was linked to the birth of modernity in Europe, Russia and the United States, rather than to Tsarist despotism in 19th century Russia or to Islam sects in Medieval Persia. Combining a highly readable historical narrative with analysis of larger issues in social and political history, the author argues that the dissemination of news about terrorist violence was at the core of a strategy that aimed for political impact on rulers as well as the general public. Dietze's lucid account also reveals how the spread of knowledge about terrorist acts was, from the outset, a transatlantic process. Two incidents form the book's centerpiece. The first is the failed attempt to assassinate French Emperor Napoléon III by Felice Orsini in 1858, in an act intended to achieve Italian unity and democracy. The second case study offers a new reading of John Brown's raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859, as a decisive moment in the abolitionist struggle and occurrences leading to the American Civil War. Three further examples from Germany, Russia, and the US are scrutinized to trace the development of the tactic by first imitators. With their acts of violence, the "invention" of terrorism was completed. Terrorism has existed as a tactic since then and has essentially only been adapted through the use of new technologies and methods.Trade Review"The book builds an extraordinarily careful argument about the specificities of context in the 1850s and 60s necessary to an understanding of how terrorism as a distinctive body of political thinking and practice arrived in the modern world, focusing on the field of understanding that coalesced around "freedom, nation and violence" in the epoch framed by the French Revolution and Revolutions of 1848. It does not fall into common trap of the available literatures, viz. to approach the 'genealogies' from an excessively presentist point of view. Instead, Dietze approaches the 1850s and 60s as a generative crucible for the conjunction of ideas and influences that need to be very carefully historicized as such if we're to have any chance of understanding the subsequent intellectual and political histories concerned. In its willingness to engage explicitly and at length with the literatures in political science as well as the writing theoretically about terrorism in general, Dietze's book has unusual strength for a historian."The book is impressively "transnational" in the terms that have become aspiringly normative for so many theoretically self-aware and ambitious historians during the past decade.""Dietze brilliantly makes these familiar and well-established histories and perceptions strange.""Another vital and original aspect of the study is its emphasis on media history and the particular characteristics of the mid 19th century public sphere -- BOTH in terms of the circulatory conditions needed for the transnational quality of the history she's trying to reconstruct AND for the key argument she's making about impact and reception. In other words, this is partly an argument about mechanics and the particular means of transmission and circulation. But it's also about the ontological grounds of political thought and political agency created out of this remarkable transnational circuitry." -- Geoff Eley, Karl Pohrt Distinguished University Professor of Contemporary History at the University of MichiganThis book may well revolutionize our understanding of the origins of terrorism in the 19th century. In highly original fashion, it closely links together the actions of terrorists in France, Russia, and the United States and shows how between 1858 and 1866 two key terrorists influenced three copycats who altogether ignited the explosion of modern terrorism. The depth of Dietze's research, drawing upon archives not only in Europe and the United States, but also in Russia, is staggering. A must read for anyone interested in the history of terrorism. -- Richard Bach Jensen, Louisiana Scholars’ College at Northwestern State University, author of The Battle against Anarchist Terrorism

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Book SynopsisIn the early hours of 5 September 1972 the perimeter fence surrounding the Olympic Village in Munich was scaled by terrorists. Their target was the temporary home of the Israeli Olympic team, and within 24 hours seventeen men were dead: eleven Israelis, five terrorists and a German policeman.The attack by Black September, an ultra-violent faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, was seen on television by more than 900 million viewers. The world watched as Jews suffered again on German soil. Yet despite the immediate attention given to the disaster crucial questions went unanswered. Why did so many die? Any why have the German officials covered up details of the massacre?Based largely on exhaustive investigations for the film One Day in September, this book is the definitive account of the tragedy. With the help of previously secret documents, photographs and dozens of interviews, it reconstructs the tension of the day - and exposes the full extent of

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Book SynopsisA TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Engaging and visceral ... Reads like a thriller' Financial Times 'Riveting and often deeply disturbing ... A punch to the stomach' Sunday Times 'Ebner has done some gutsy, thought-provoking research' Sunday Telegraph 'Fascinating and important' Spectator By day, Julia Ebner works at a counter-extremism think tank, monitoring radical groups from the outside. But two years ago, she began to feel she was only seeing half the picture; she needed to get inside the groups to truly understand them. She decided to go undercover in her spare hours – late nights, holidays, weekends – adopting five different identities, and joining a dozen extremist groups from across the ideological spectrum. Her journey would take her from a Generation Identity global strategy meeting in a pub in Mayfair, to a Neo-Nazi Music Festival on the border of Germany and Poland. She would get relationship advice from ‘Trad Wives’ and Jihadi Brides and hacking lessons from ISIS. She was in the channels when the alt-right began planning the lethal Charlottesville rally, and spent time in the networks that would radicalise the Christchurch terrorist. In Going Dark, Ebner takes the reader on a deeply compulsive journey into the darkest recesses of extremist thinking, exposing how closely we are surrounded by their fanatical ideology every day, the changing nature and practice of these groups, and what is being done to counter them.Trade ReviewEbner has done some gutsy, thought-provoking research **** * Sunday Telegraph *Engaging and visceral ... At times, Ebner’s undercover work reads like a thriller ... Going Dark pulls back the facade of invulnerability and remorselessness that extremists promote with glossy propaganda, to understand those they recruit * Financial Times *Riveting and often deeply disturbing ... Her aim is to expose the way extremist groups manipulate their members in the hope that this will prevent others from being radicalised by them. Her book is a call, too, for policy-makers to rethink their response to extremism ... A punch to the stomach * The Sunday Times *Fascinating and important ... Going Dark shows how diverse groups feed off each other, using similar tactics to create social bubbles while exploiting the weakness — or reluctance — of social media firms to control their hate-filled content. It underlines the dangers of ignoring the threat of far-right terror, the normalisation of violence-inciting ideologies and the fearsome power of technology to inspire copycat attacks * Spectator *A chilling, compulsive investigation into online extremist groups * Standpoint *A thorough and shocking exploration of how the internet has facilitated the spread of extremism ... Ebner depicts the vast and rapid spread of online extremism, and the challenge we face in fighting it * City AM *Julia Ebner advises governments and organisations on online extremism and hate speech. To complete her investigations of online fanatics, she assumes a variety of identities and goes undercover in a dozen tech-savvy extremist groups ... Absorbing and intelligent ... Ebner doesn't just analyse these things, she takes real risks to witness them up close. The result is a work that is terrifying because it is non-fiction. * Irish News *Julia Ebner's description of infiltrating extremist groups – and her first hand account of how their ideology is turned into violent action – is chilling ... [she] deserves a medal * Lord Harris of Haringey, House Magazine *Julia Ebner has not only teased out and explained the common denominator in extremist movements, she has done so in a way that is humanising, engrossing and alarming. Going Dark is not just an overdue, almost exhaustive journey of research into the lives of extremists, it is a public service -- Nesrine Malik, author of We Need New StoriesA scintillating journey into a secret world that is impacting our everyday lives in ways we are only just starting to grasp. Simultaneously immersive and analytical, Ebner’s adventures in the dark crevasses of the internet shows how fascism works today – and what needs to be done to stop it -- Peter Pomerantsev, author of This is Not PropagandaGoing Dark makes for terrifying reading, but it’s all the more essential for that, exposing just how closely we’re surrounded by fanatical ideology every day of our lives, and how that ideology is being countered * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisSince 2012, hundreds of men and women have left Western countries to join jihadist groups fighting in Syria. Many are still there, many have been killed, but some have chosen to return to their countries of origin. French Journalist David Thomson met some of those who came back. Bilel, Yassin, Zoubeir, Lena, each has a different profile and story. Some have returned disgusted by the violence of the Syrian battlefields, or the terrorist attacks that have struck across Europe; they try to become forgotten, living under extreme surveillance. Others return seriously wounded or psychologically destroyed. Others still are in jail, a breeding ground for broader radicalization. And some have come back to continue to carry out jihad in Europe. In utmost secrecy, David Thomson gathered their testimonies and recounts them in this remarkable and revealing book. With ISIS losing ground on all fronts, the steady flow of jihadists returning to Europe represents one of the greatest challenges facing countries across the continent. This nuanced analysis of the social, religious, political, familial and psychological factors that push people to violent extremism is more necessary now than ever. It will be essential reading for all those seeking to understand how we might address this threat.Trade Review"Thrilling... a major contribution to the debate."Financial Times"This season's publishing sensation."Le Figaro"A unique and illuminating work on this unsettling subject."Le Monde"France's favorite public intellectual."Foreign Policy “gripping”Spiked UK“It should be required reading for British politicians and police chiefs.”Gavin Mortimer, writer, historian and television consultant

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Book Synopsis- When do individuals radicalise? - Can terrorism be rational? - How can we define terrorism? - What is the role of women in terrorism? - Can states be terrorist? World leading experts answer these questions in Contemporary Terrorism Studies, the first textbook to provide a multi-disciplinary, methodologically plural, and richly diverse introduction to terrorism studies. Contemporary Terrorism Studies covers the main approaches in terrorism studies, and is structured into three comprehensive sections. The first on ''The State of Terrorism Studies'' maps the development and historical context of the discipline, and looks to the future of terrorism studies. Part two on ''Issues and Debates in Terrorism Studies'' examines key contentious questions and debates such as the role of women, technology, and the media in terrorism. The final part, part three on ''Countering Terrorism'' focuses specifically on counterterrorism: it''s instruments, foreign policy, legal frameworks, and organisationTrade ReviewAn unusually comprehensive and authoritative book which creatively draws together new and established scholars to explore the many and growing approaches to this most important of subjects. This volume will prove invaluable to those teaching courses on terrorism and will stimulate lively discussion among scholars. * Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford, UK *A powerful, authoritative, compelling volume on one of the world's major fields of research and analysis. A wide-ranging, rigorous and important book. * Professor Richard English, Queen's University Belfast, author of Does Terrorism Work? A History *An ambitious textbook that provides a comprehensive and well-organized introduction to terrorism studies, containing contributions from a large number of leading scholars in the field. Contemporary Terrorism Studies covers an impressive range of topics and pays close attention to the key issues that drive our understanding of terrorism. * Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow Emerita, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, and Professor Emerita, Wesleyan University, USA *Given the vast expansion of terrorism studies, the need for an authoritative exegesis and assessment of the many new approaches, methodologies, and perspectives involving this highly contentious subject has become acute. Contemporary Terrorism Studies is thus a very timely, welcome, and immensely important contribution to the literature. Its editors, Diego Muro and Tim Wilson, have masterfully assembled a stellar cast of contributors to explore and examine contemporary research on terrorism in all its variegated dimensions. This book will become an essential reference work for scholars and students alike. * Professor Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University, and author, Inside Terrorism *A wide-ranging and comprehensive work that covers the key issues of debate in terrorism studies, in an accessible and engaging form. * Eamonn O'Kane, Reader in Conflict Studies, School of Social, Historical and Political Studies, University of Wolverhampton *A thoughtful, well-designed book that equips students with both the conceptual depth and empirical evidence they need to develop into discerning scholars. The ability of the various authors to synthesise such complex debates is welcome for teachers and students alike. * Shaun McDaid, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Department of Behaviour and Social Sciences, University of Huddersfield *Table of Contents1. Tim Wilson and Diego Muro: IntroductionPART ONE: THE STATE OF TERRORISM STUDIES2. What are terrorism studies? Tim Wilson 3. Harmonie Toros: Critical Terrorism Studies 4. Anthony Richards: Conceptualisations of Terrorism 5. Adrian Guelke: Terrorism in Context 6. Stefan Malthaner, Donatella della Porta, and Lorenzo Bosi: The Social Science of Political Violence 7. Gary LaFree: Open Sources DatabasesPART TWO: ISSUES AND DEBATES IN TERRORISM STUDIES8. Bernhard Blumenau and Tim Wilson: The History of Terrorism 9. What are the Root Causes of terrorism? Nick Brooke 10. When Do Individuals Radicalise? Rik Coolsaet 11. Can Terrorism be Rational? Max Abrahms 12. Alex Braithwaite and Ian Orringer: Target Selection 13. Leena Malkki: Longevity of Terrorist Groups 14. Can States be Terrorists? Kieran McConaghy 15. Caron Gentry: Gendered and Racialised Terrorism 16. Peter Lehr: Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Technology 17. Peter Neumann: Old and New Terrorism 18. Donald Holbrook: Social Media and Terrorism 19. Is Terrorism Effective? Diego MuroPART THREE: COUNTERING TERRORISM20. Martin Innes and Helen Innes: Counterterrorism Agencies and Their Work 21. Sondre Lindahl and Richard Jackson: Responding to Terrorism Non-violently 22. Frank Foley: Counterterrorism and Human Rights 23. Rashmi Singh: Foreign Policy and Countering Terrorism 24. Christian Kaunert and Ori Wertman: International Organisations and Counterterrorism 25. Jakana Thomas: Terrorism by Insurgents and Rebels 26. Daniel Koehler: Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism 27. Sarah Marsden: Disengagement and De-Radicalisation Programmes 28. Orla Lynch and Carmel Joyce: Victims of Terrorism and Political Violence 29. Audrey Kurth Cronin: The End of Terrorist Campaigns

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Book SynopsisPaul Auster''s explosively suspenseful tale from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy: ''a literary voice for the ages'' (Guardian)''Six days ago, a man blew himself up by the side of a road in northern Wisconsin . . .''The explosion that detonates the narrative of Paul Auster''s thrilling novel also ends the life of its hero, Benjamin Sachs, and brings two FBI agents to the home of one of Sachs''s oldest friends, the writer Peter Aaron. What follows is Aaron''s story, an intricate, subtle and gripping investigation of another man''s life in all its richness and complexity. Combining an investigation of freedom and terrorism with all the tension, mystery and allusive richness of Auster''s classic fiction.

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Book SynopsisNew edition of one of the most celebrated books on the Troubles. Famously described as 'Bandit Country' by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary, for nearly three decades South Armagh was the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier. In this acclaimed work of reportage, originally published in 2000, Toby Harnden stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with the region to produce one of the most compelling and important books on the Troubles. Drawing on secret documents and interviews on South Armagh's recent history, Harnden told the inside story of how the IRA came close to bringing the British state to its knees.

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Book SynopsisThe battle is for a city. The war is for history. In autumn 2016, Iraqi forces began operations to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State. Millennia-old, Mosul was a birthplace of Western culture but also infamous for its cruelty, from the Assyrians to Saddam Hussein. Through the eyes of soldiers and families and jihadis, award-winning reporter James Verini chronicles the combat that followed. Among the most devastating urban conflicts since World War II, the battle for Mosul was both archaic and modern. Troops and jihadis fought house by house, block by block, matching bullet for bullet, while co-ordinating their movements on WhatsApp and uploading execution videos. Verini describes how this viciously contested patch of earth came to represent a war for the soul of a country, for its history and its future.Trade Review‘One of the strengths of Verini… is his eye for detail… A poignant and detailed profile, beautifully written, of people in war… They Will Have to Die Now is an exceptional study both of modern war and of the most significant battle in the war against Islamic State. I read each page with relish and gratitude, and on several occasions drummed my heels with delight at the sheer ludicrousness of the horror of it all.’ * Times *‘A necessary book… Verini’s front-line reporting is exhilarating… He brings each scene to life and, crucially, knows when to absent himself from the story. Verini has a novelist’s eye for the telling detail’ * Daily Telegraph *‘When war isn’t being loud and boring, most modern accounts agree, it’s being loud and surreal. Verini’s book is exceptionally rich in this vein…. An extraordinary portrait of domestic lives stewing in desperation and rage... They Will Have to Die Now entirely transcends its genre.' -- Spectator‘An eloquent, awesome account of the destruction of the Isis-held city of Mosul.’ -- Robert Fisk, Independent‘Verini’s firsthand account of the Battle of Mosul is a thing of terrible beauty.’ -- Jonathan Franzen‘This is such an important and deeply nuanced book. Verini paints absolutely convincing portraits of the Iraqi soldiers trying to take their broken country back, and in humanizing them, he joins the ranks of Liebling and Pyle and Gellhorn – American journalists able to embed so selflessly with soldiers, to listen first and theorize rarely, to tell a story as it happened.’ -- Dave Eggers, bestselling author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and The Circle‘They Will Have to Die Now is the story of what happened after most Americans stopped paying attention to Iraq. It’s a small miracle that a writer as good as James Verini witnessed the Battle of Mosul. His book is erudite, humane, bleakly funny, and unbearably sad. It will take its place among the very best war writing of the past two decades.’ -- George Packer, author of Our Man and The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq‘James Verini plunges you into the heart of the climactic battle of the Iraq War and won’t let you leave. He seems to be everywhere, gets to know everyone, vividly chronicles everything he sees and hears—and never once calls attention to himself. The weapons may be new—drones and iPads and executions on YouTube—but the blood and confusion and betrayal are as old as war itself. They Will Have To Die Now is an astonishment.’ -- Geoffrey C. Ward, co-author of The Vietnam War‘They Will Have to Die Now is a vivid, captivating, compelling, and graphic account of the major battle against the Islamic State in Iraq, the Battle for Mosul—site of the Biblical Nineveh and capital of the province where I was privileged to serve in the first year of the war in Iraq. James Verini conveys brilliantly the often tragic ancient and modern history of Iraq, and he captures superbly the brutal reality of one of the most intense urban battles since World War II. In so doing, he describes the terrible hardships experienced by the Moslawis and both the worst and the best of mankind in war, contrasting the barbaric actions of the jihadists with the desires of those who tried to rescue and to rebuild—but who nonetheless had to inflict enormous damage on the city they sought to liberate.’ -- General David Petraeus‘This is a stunning book, brave in its reporting and beautiful in its writing. It is funny and sad and seared into me, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, not just to people interested in the truth of a war but to anyone in search of the truth of humanity.’ -- David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at the Washington Post and author of The Good Soldiers‘James Verini’s book stands comparison with the pathbreaking works of modern war journalism that meld into great literature. One has to go back to the Vietnam War and Michael Herr’s Dispatches to find such a vivid, poignant, and historically grounded narrative of an appalling war; a war caused no little by the misdeeds, missteps, and malevolence of the myriad powers and forces that have tried to dominate the Middle East.’ -- Ali Allawi, former minister of finance, defense, and trade of Iraq‘The definitive account of one of the most pivotal and bitter military campaigns of the modern era… This isn’t typical military history, though, but an eyewitness account of what happens to ordinary people who find themselves living on the battlefield, the compromises they must make to stay alive… This is war reporting at its very best.’ -- Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia‘Tough, smart, and vivid, this is a book that renders war and battle with the deft hand of a fine writer. It will haunt you, engage you, and stay with you.’ -- Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Orchid Thief‘An urgent, scalding, hallucinatory work of war reportage, in the tradition of Michael Herr and Philip Gourevitch. His account…captures the horror, the nobility, and the sheer grinding absurdity of twenty-first-century warfare… A significant achievement.’ -- Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Say Nothing, winner of the Orwell Prize

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Book SynopsisEvery reporter knows the first rule of journalism: never betray your source. But what if your source turns out to be unworthy of your silence? What if it's your source who betrays you?The Messenger tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two men looking to change the world - a repentant jihadist and an idealistic journalist. This troubling real-life thriller takes us from their first meeting in a spartan flat in the rough suburbs of Manchester, to a bombing in Pakistan, a dramatic arrest and Malik's reporting career on the brink of ruin.Ten years later, Malik returns to this extraordinary tale. He asks where we can place our trust - in reams of evidence, in a government we believe is on our side, in a terrorist who swears he's changed, in a friend who has no one else to turn to. Malik explores the uncomfortable questions about why he, as well as the wider media and the nation, surrendered to fear so easily. And he reveals how the age of terror laid the groundwork for an era of fake news and demagogues.This is investigative journalism and storytelling of the highest order.

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Book SynopsisEd Moloney has been Northern Ireland Editor of both the Irish Times and the Sunday Tribune. He has written for a wide range of newspapers and magazines in Ireland, the UK and the USA. In 1999 he was Irish Journalist of the Year. He currently lives in New York.

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe farewell calls from the planes the mounting terror of air traffic control the mothers who knew they were witnessing their loved ones perish From an author who's spent 5 years reconstructing its horror, never has the story been told with such devastating, human force' Daily MailThis is a 9/11 book like no other. Masterfully weaving together multiple strands of the events in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Fall and Rise is a mesmerising, minute-by-minute account of that terrible day.In the days and months after 9/11, Mitchell Zuckoff, then a reporter for the Boston Globe, wrote about the attacks, the victims, and their families. After further years of meticulous reporting, Zuckoff has filled Fall and Rise with voices of the lost and the saved. The result is an utterly gripping book, filled with intimate stories of people most affected by the events of that sunny Tuesday in September: an out-of-work actor stuck in an elevator i

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Book SynopsisAfter the Gulf War of 1990, No Fly Zones (NFZ) were established over northern and southern Iraq and the Tornado GR 1 force stepped up to operations over the southern NFZ. The Tornado GR 4 took responsibility for RAF combat air operations in Afghanistan from the Harrier force in 2009, and in 2011 was involved in missions against the Gaddafi regime in Libya. The unique multirole capabilities of the aircraft enabled it to support ground operations with the Raptor reconnaissance pod, Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV laser-guided bombs until withdrawal in 2014. The Tornado GR 4 was also used for operations over Iraq and Syria against the ISIL terrorist organisation. Intensive air operations were flown between 2014 and 2019, when the Tornado GR 4 was finally withdrawn from RAF Service. This volume, written by former RAF pilot Michael Napier, provides detailed first-hand accounts of the missions undertaken by the Tornado crews during the most recent conflicts over the Middle East and the BTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 Iraq 1992–99 Chapter 2 Air Defence Operation 1992–2011 Chapter 3 Kosovo 1999 Chapter 4 Iraq 2000–09 Chapter 5 Afghanistan and Libya 2009–14 Chapter 6 Iraq and Syria 2014–19 Appendices Colour Plates Commentary Index

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Book SynopsisIn this revealing look at the history of assassinations, Kenneth Baker examines over a hundred political and religious murders or attempted murders, ranging from Julius Caesar to President Kennedy to Osama bin Laden. Assassins hope to change the world, but rarely succeed: Baker concludes that the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914 was the only one that changed the history of the world. Other assassinations, whether of monarchs, politicians, dissidents, clerics, journalists or others at best give only a glancing blow at history. The author concludes that, in Macbeth's words, an assassination `is a poisoned chalice.' Kenneth Baker also reveals that since 1945 there have been fewer individual assassins working alone; now assassinations are more likely to be carried out by political and religious terrorists, or by the security services of certain states to eliminate dissidents. Not only Russia and Israel, but the USA, the UK and others have resorted to targeted killings when they consider their security is under threat. On Assassinations shows how we have moved from the era of individual assassinations, through to terror groups' murders and now onto state-sponsored targeted killingsTrade Review"[Baker] has put together this compendium of more than a hundred political murders, from Julius Caesar to Gandhi, from Lincoln to Kennedy and Trotsky to Osama bin Laden. What emerges is a potpourri of intrigue and accident, miscalculation and just plain evil. In many cases, luck played a large part: a chance turn of events without which a murder plot would never have succeeded. . . . Baker, whose long political career included spells as Environment Secretary, Education Secretary and Home Secretary before taking him to the House of Lords, succinctly summarises each assassination and searches for a common thread between them." * Daily Mail (UK) *

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Book SynopsisIn March 1978, the Red Brigades kidnapped former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, murdering his bodyguards. For nearly two months, they held him hostage while a shocked world looked on, before eventually killing him and dumping his body in the middle of Rome. But who were this terrorist group? What did they want? And how did they continue to operate for almost twenty years, terrifying a nation from 1970 to 1988? In John Foot's remarkable new book, we learn how they became the most formidable left-wing terrorist organisation in post-war Western Europe. Drawing their support from the student protest movements of the 1960s, activists and workers radicalised by the hot autumn' of 1969, the Red Brigades were inspired by terrorist groups from across the world, especially in Latin America. They recognised no rules and authority other than their own, and launched a campaign of murder, kidnap, kneecapping and intimidation that paralysed Italy's justice system and reshaped the political landscape. For a time, they were admired as freedom fighters by the Italian left and commemorated as martyrs. Through meticulous research, Foot uncovers the true story behind the myths that have grown around the Red Brigades, highlighting the human costs of their actions, as well as their impact on Italian society. He explains how the contradictions inherent in their actions eventually led to their downfall in a series of high-profile mass trials. The Red Brigades sheds new light on the shadowy world of the brigatisti, and highlights their legacy of conspiracy, distrust and bitterness that still lingers in Italy to this day.

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Book SynopsisTerrorist groups are no different from other organizations in their use of branding to promote their ideas and to distinguish themselves from groups that share similar aims. The branding they employ may contain complex systems of meaning and emotion; it conveys the group's beliefs and capabilities. Branding Terror is the first comprehensive survey of the visual identity of the world's major terrorist organizations, from al-Qaeda and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to the Tamil Tigers. Each of the 60-plus entries contains a concise description of the group's ideology, leadership and modus operandi, and a brief timeline of events. The group's branding - the symbolism, colours and typography of its logo and flag - is then analysed in detail. Branding Terror does not seek to make any political statements; rather, it offers insight into an understudied area of counter-intelligence, and provides an original and provocative source of inspiration for graphic designers.

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Book SynopsisA gripping true crime account of radicalisation in Britain - and how it can be prevented. Longlisted for the ACLS Gold Dagger Award.'An incredible story, powerfully and beautifully told.' - James O'BrienFive teenage friends leave Brighton to wage jihad in Syria. All except one are killed. This is their untold story.No Return is a unique insight into a hidden Britain, based on true events that so shocked intelligence experts they are now the Home Office's lead case study into youth radicalisation.Drawing on a cache of leaked classified documents and unprecedented access to all the main players, award-winning investigative journalist Mark Townsend reveals the shocking truth behind what drew these young Britons to martyrdom in a foreign land. The end result is a fast-paced and powerfully gripping true crime account of radicalisation - and how it can be prevented.

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Book Synopsis''A superb book' ObserverGripping, vivid and compelling' The CriticHumane, absorbing and meticulous' New StatesmanThree Weeks in July is the extraordinary and definitive account of the events of the 7/7 London bombings, publishing on the 20th anniversary of the event.Three Weeks in July delivers the definitive narrative of the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the chaos, confusion and terror that followed.A true-crime investigation interwoven with high-stakes politics and history, it reveals untold accounts of the response to 7/7 by the government and the Metropolitan Police, as well as their efforts to prevent a second wave of attacks. Drawing on insights from key figures like Tony Blair, Peter Clarke (head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch at the Metropolitan Police) and Sir Ian Blair (Metropolitan Police commissioner), as well as victims and first responders, the book chronicles the frenzy of the first hours after the attack and the pivotal three weeks of police work, forensics and political machinations whose repercussions are still being felt to this day.Three Weeks in July is the definitive account of one of the most tumultuous periods in modern British history, and a visceral and propulsive narrative that examines the vulnerabilities of the state and the ethical dilemmas of national security.

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Book SynopsisTerrorism and radicalization came to the forefront of news and politics in the US after the unforgettable attacks of September 11th, 2001. When George W. Bush famously asked Why do they hate us?, the President echoed the confusion, anger and fear felt by millions of Americans, while also creating a politicized discourse that has come to characterize and obscure discussions of both phenomenon in the media.Since then the American public has lived through a number of domestic attacks and threats, and watched international terrorist attacks from afar on television sets and computer screens. The anxiety and misinformation surrounding terrorism and radicalization are perhaps best detected in questions that have continued to recur in the last decade: Are terrorists crazy?; Is there a profile of individuals likely to become terrorists?; Is it possible to prevent radicalization to terrorism? Fortunately, in the two decades since 9/11, a significant body of research has emerged that can help provide definitive answers. As experts in the psychology of radicalization, Sophia Moskalenko and Clark McCauley propose twelve mechanisms that can move individuals, groups, and mass publics from political indifference to sympathy and support for terrorist violence. Radicalization to Terrorism: What Everyone Needs to Know synthesizes original and existing research to answer the questions raised after each new attack, including those committed by radicalized Americans. It offers a rigorously informed overview of the insight that will enable readers to see beyond the relentless new cycle to understand where terrorism comes from and how best to respond to it.Table of ContentsChapter 1. What is terrorism and who becomes a terrorist? Chapter 2. What is radicalization? Chapter 3. How are individuals radicalized to join a terrorist group? Chapter 4. How are small groups radicalized to use terrorism as a tactic? Chapter 5. How are mass publics radicalized to support terrorism? Chapter 6. What is the relation between radical ideas and radical action? Chapter 7. What's different about lone-wolf terrorists? Chapter 8. Are suicide bombers suicidal? Chapter 9. Is it possible to prevent radicalization to terrorism? Chapter 10. Is it possible to de-radicalize terrorists? Chapter 11. What are Mass Identity Manipulations (MIMs)--pictures, songs/chants, rumors, rituals and symbols? Chapter 12. Mass radicalization in the United States Chapter 13. Conclusions: What Everyone Needs to Know about Radicalization and Extremism

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Book SynopsisRebel Hearts is a detailed and revealing account of the psychological underworld of Irish Republicanism. 'Stunning. It brings the dehumanizing horror of the Troubles into a painful, dazzling light.' Simon Hoggart, Sunday Tribune

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Book SynopsisDrawing on his deep, erudite insight into the life and teachings of the blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and fourteen centuries of Islamic scholarship, Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri's 512-page, detailed fatwa demolishes the theological arguments advanced by terrorists in prisons, on websites, videos and their literature.Trade ReviewTahir ul-Qadri's distinctive and voluminous fatwa is an exhaustive study of what the Quran and Islamic sources have to say about the use of violence, terrorism and suicide bombing and is a categorical and unequivocal rejection of all acts of illegitimate violence, terrorism and every act of suicide bombing against all human beings, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. At the same time, he also distances himself from all, whether fellow prominent religious leaders or Muslim youth who have the potential to be radicalized, who would seek to justify and excuse suicide bombing and terrorism for any reason. As he noted in an interview with Christiane Amanpour, Terrorism and violence cannot be considered to be permissible in Islam on the basis of any excuse. ... Any good intention or any mistake of foreign policy of any country or any pretext cannot legalize the act of terrorism. This important fatwa is a major contribution to Islamic discourse and teaching and to inter-religious understanding in the 21st century, offering a thought-provoking message and lesson for all who seek global peace and justice. --Foreword by Prof John Esposito The Shaykh's scholarship is remarkable. The fatwa rests upon a granite-solid foundation of research and references from the Quran, reliable Hadith of established provenance, opinions of the Beloved Prophet s Companions and the classical texts of Islamic scholarship that are widely accepted by all main schools of thought. I have pored over not only the exhaustive text of the fatwa, but also over its hundreds of footnotes. Carefully selected for their reliability and clarity, the citations are employed by the Shaykh with obvious and commendable scholarly concern for precision and accuracy and after all issues of truth, objectivity and bias have been carefully weighed on the scales of his mind. In selecting sources, building his case brick-by-brick and expressing his argument powerfully and clearly, he has demonstrated profoundly good judgement. The power of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri s argument stems from its completeness and comprehensiveness as well as from the fact that, for the first time in a fatwa, an internationally renowned scholar has left no stone unturned in his determination to demonstrate that there can be no possible justification for deliberate violence in the name of Islam outside of the context of organised warfare. This is itself only permissible when undertaken according to strict criteria based only on self-defence and adherence to justice. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri categorically demonstrates with dependable scholarship that regardless of any claimed motives, however righteous they may seem, evil acts will remain evil. Indeed, the Shaykh demonstrates that suicide bombings and other forms of terrorism are so unjust and wicked that they place the perpetrators outside of Islam. That is, these acts are the acts of unbelievers, not martyrs, and they will expose those who do them to the gravest likelihood of eternal punishment after death. --Introduction by Dr Joel Hayward Fareed Zakaria, CNN: While past [fatwas] may have hemmed and hawed about where the Koran condoned terror or particular kinds of violence, this one is definitive. It says there is no theological justification for terror in Islam. Nicholas Kralev, The Washington Times: ... the new fatwa makes the most detailed and comprehensive case against Islamic extremist. Christian Caryl, Foreign Policy Magazine: Qadri s fatwa aims to establish a bit of healthy clarity. His finding, which builds its argument around a meticulous reading of the Quran and the hadith (collections of oral statements attributed to the Prophet Mohammed), makes the case that terrorist acts run completely counter to Islamic teaching... He s especially keen on targeting the coming generation, younger members of the global ummah (the community of believers) who he contends have lost their bearings in the roiled post-9/11 world. Carla Power, TIME: Qadri s fatwa may well be the most detailed anti-terror fatwa ever written... His fatwa: Terrorism is at all times, in all conditions, against Islam. The murders terrorists commit will send them, not to paradise, as often claimed, but to hell. The Globe and Mail, Canada: It is a direct and powerful argument aimed at the young and at all those whose silence or equivocal statements have been understood by the young as tacit approval. --International Media

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Book SynopsisThe conflict in Northern Ireland was one of the most devastating in post-war Europe, claiming the lives of 3,500 people and injuring many more. This book is a riveting new history of the radical politics that drove a unique insurgency that emerged from the crucible of 1968. Based on extensive archival research, One Man's Terrorist explores the relationship between the IRA, a clandestine army described as 'one of the most ruthless and capable insurgent forces in modern history', and the political movement that developed alongside it to challenge British rule. From Wilson and Heath to Thatcher and Blair, a generation of British politicians had to face an unprecedented subversive threat whose reach extended from West Belfast to Westminster. Finn shows how Republicans fought a war on several fronts, making use of every weapon available to achieve their goal of a united Ireland, from car bombs to election campaigns, street marches to hunger strikes. Though driven by an uncompromising revolutionary politics that blended militant nationalism with left-wing ideology, their movement was never monolithic, its history punctuated by splits and internal conflicts. The IRA's war ultimately ended in stalemate, with the peace process of the 1990s and the Good Friday Agreement that has maintained an uneasy balance ever since.Trade ReviewProvides us with one of the best analyses available of the politics that motivated and drove different currents within insurrectionary Irish republicanism over the past 60 years. Well researched and scrupulously objective, the author is ever academically critical. Nevertheless, he does not suffer from the endemic hostility to his subject that mars so many other works in this genre. -- Tommy McKearney, author of The Provisional IRAThere are numerous current treatments of the modern IRA, its rivals, and its allies. Daniel Finn's stands out for its concise clarity, and because, free of jargon, it is written from the left. -- Brendan O’Leary, Lauder Professor of Political Science, University of PennsylvaniaA fine, subtle analysis of the Provisional IRA's armed campaign and the movement's political development over three decades. Daniel Finn provides sharp insights into the leadership's strategic thinking as it manoeuvred towards a ceasefire in the 1990s. He shows how this militant Republican movement transformed itself into an electorally successful left-wing political party in Ireland North and South. -- Niall Ó Dochartaigh, Professor of Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway[Finn is] studious in his research and solid in his writing * Irish Times *A concise yet detailed discussion of the modern Irish Republican movement. -- Ron Jacobs * CounterPunch *This book's account of how Sinn Fein's leaders played an instrumental role in making this possible is an indispensable guide to understanding how this template can - and cannot - be applied to resolving other terrorist conflicts, as well. -- Joshua Sinai * Washington Times *This slim volume packs a resonant, intelligent power. * RTÉ Guide *Given the outpouring of academic books and articles on the Northern Ireland conflict that has occurred since the 1960s...Does Daniel Finn's book represent an oasis in this intellectual and moral desert? The judgement has to be a qualified affirmative. * Dublin Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisOn the morning of Saturday 22nd April 1978, members of an Active Service Unit of the IRA hijacked a car and crossed the countryside to the town of Lisburn. Within an hour, they had killed an off-duty policeman in front of his young son. In Anatomy of a Killing, award-winning journalist Ian Cobain documents the hours leading up to the killing, and the months and years of violence, attrition and rebellion surrounding it. Drawing on interviews with those most closely involved, as well as court files, police notes, military intelligence reports, IRA strategy papers, memoirs and government records, this is a unique perspective on the Troubles, and a revelatory work of investigative journalism.Trade ReviewBy homing in on one man's violent death, Ian Cobain tells a riveting and tragic story but, while doing that, he has also written a precise, compelling history of the Troubles. It's one of the best I've read -- Roddy DoyleA remarkable piece of forensic journalism and a worthy addition to the Troubles bookshelf -- Ed MoloneyIan Cobain has provided a superb piece of journalism that avoids any moralising or analysing from his own perspective and that has a powerful impact on the reader, forcing the reader to consider the humanity of the players but also leaving space for the reader to make the final judgment on who was right and who was wrong or if the whole sorry mess could have been avoided -- Malachi O’DohertyAnatomy of a Killing is meticulously researched and the results are arresting. For anyone who grew up in The Troubles, this will be a valuable reminder of just how dark a shadow we lived under. For many others, it will be shocking to discover what people in one part of the British Isles had to endure in recent times -- Timothy PhiliipsIan Cobain has written a brilliant and balanced account of the ugly war of attrition fought between the IRA and the British state. He traces the interwoven lives of an IRA team, revealing the social divisions, injustices and passions that that led to a brutal killing in the late 1970s. His reconstruction of a forgotten assassination and its reverberations offers a compelling microhistory of the Troubles, and explains why Northern Ireland is still a deeply traumatised society -- Ian McBride, Foster Professor of Irish History, University of OxfordAn ambitious social and political history of the Troubles, drawing on court files, interviews, police notes and IRA strategy papers... Cobain leaves no perspective unexamined... A deftly rendered history that refuses to simplify a messy and tragic period * Prospect *A brilliant, captivating, richly illuminating account of a brutal killing. Essential reading for anyone interested in the Northern Ireland conflict * Richard English, author of Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA *

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Book SynopsisAn exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mother's unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.How far would you go to protect yourself? Your dignity? Your family?In the days before Homeira Qaderi gave birth to her son, Siawash, the road to the hospital in Kabul would often be barricaded because of the frequent suicide explosions.With the city and the military on edge,it was not uncommon foran armed soldiertopoint his gun at the pregnant woman's bulging stomach, terrified that she was hiding a bomb. Propelled by the love she held for her soon-to-be-born child, Homeira walked through blood and wreckage to reach the hospital doors. But the joy of her beautiful son's birth was soon overshadowed by other dangers that would threaten her life.No ordinary Afghan woman, Homeira refused to cower under the strictures of a misogynistic social order. Defying the law, at the age of thirteen, she risked her freedom to teach children reading and writingTrade Review‘Page-turning account of the lives of Afghan women … at the heart of this moving memoir is an aching sadness’ Observer ‘How does a girl grow to be a woman in a society that shuts off every opportunity? How does a mother choose between her child and the future, not just her future but that of the women of Afghanistan? Homeira Qaderi answers these impossible questions in her stunning memoir, Dancing in the Mosque – one of the most moving love letters to life itself that you will ever read.’ Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Last Train to London ‘Powerful … an unvarnished, memorable portrayal of a mother’s grief and love’ Kirkus ‘A remarkable story of great strength, perseverance, and personal sacrifice by a woman selflessly working to advance the rights of women in her homeland of Afghanistan, women and girls who yearn to be free … I wept when I read the words, " in this land, it is better to be a stone than a girl." Thank you, Homeira, for telling a story that everyone needs to read.’ Deborah Rodriguez, author of The Kabul Beauty School and The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

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Book SynopsisSpreading Hate examines the evolution of the white power movement around the world, explaining its appeal and the threat it poses as well as many failures.The modern white power movement is now a global, transnational phenomenon. In this sweeping, authoritative account, Daniel Byman traces the key moments in the white power movement''s evolution in the United States and around the world and then details its many facets today. Using a wide range of sources, Byman explodes several myths about white power terrorism and exposes dangerous gaps in current policies.For almost two decades since 9/11, white supremacist terrorism has been relegated to a secondary concern in the US and Europe despite the fact that it was clearly metastasizing. This neglect has led to shocking episodes of violence from New Zealand to Norway to South Carolina and has eroded faith in Western democratic institutions. Because white power terrorists'' grievances echo mainstream debates and their violence often exacerbaTrade ReviewIn eight chapters, Byman weaves together events and networks in the United States, Europe and New Zealand to paint a sweeping narrative of white supremacy. This attention to transnational linkages is welcome in a literature that tends to focus on case-studies of single countries or organizations. * Anna Meier, University of Nottingham, UK, International Affairs *Daniel Byman is among the preeminent scholars of terrorism and counterterrorism of our time—and in this book, he turns his lens on white supremacists, offering a detailed and sophisticated look at their history, ideas, tactics, use of social media, and international dimensions. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the greatest current terrorism threat facing the United States and the best ways to combat the danger. * Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings and Editor-in-chief of lawfare *Daniel Byman's Spreading Hate takes a deep dive into transnational white supremacy, what is driving it, and how it differs from other terrorist movements. Even better, Byman gives us a counterterrorism road map for addressing this threat, which has too long been ignored. A must-read for anyone concerned about metastasizing white supremacy and what can be done to stop it * Heidi Beirich, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and former Director of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center *Daniel Byman brings unparalleled counterterrorism insight and expertise to this superb new treatment of modern white power terrorism. Spreading Hate identifies specific factors that have contributed to the recent surge of white supremacist terrorism, at home and abroad. For both the general reader and the scholar practitioner, you will not find a more measured and more thoughtful treatment of this complex set of issues. Read it for the analysis of how we got to this terrible place, but take special note in the latter chapters where Byman tells us what can be done to respond to these disturbing trends. * Nicholas Rasmussen, , Executive Director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) and former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) *Table of ContentsTC

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Book SynopsisIt was on 6 June 2004 that BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner and cameraman Simon Cumbers were ambushed by Islamist gunmen in a quiet Riyadh back street. Simon was killed outright. Frank was hit in the shoulder and leg. As he lay in the dust, a figure stood over him and pumped four more bullets into his body at point-blank range.Trade ReviewGardner is a superb reporter; his terrible experience only make his analysis all the more telling * EVENING STANDARD *Gardner tells his remarkable tale well and bravely, with an astonishing lack of anger and enduring love and respect for the Islamic world * SUNDAY TIMES *Chilling, graphic and admirably unsentimental... Gardner comes across as a modest, thoroughly decent man... an exemplary foreign correspondent * GUARDIAN *A witty, self-deprecating, inspiring testament * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Vivid detail... entertaining anecdotes... Gardner is a tremendous model for what relations between East and West can be... a fine introduction both to journalism and to the culture of the Middle East * INDEPENDENT *

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Book SynopsisFormer RAF Tornado pilot Michael Napier chronicles the action-packed history of the Harrier GR 7/9, and its missions in West Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Afghanistan over a 14-year period of ceaseless operations. The Harrier GR 7/9 was at the tip of the spear' for the RAF when it came to employing weapons against well-equipped standing armies and irregular forces in the 1990s and during the first decade of the new millennium. Assigned to the Harrier GR 7/9 Force, the aircraft undertook No Fly Zone patrols over northern Iraq, supported UN forces in the Balkans and embarked in Royal Navy carriers to bolster the RAF presence ashore in the Arabian Gulf. Harrier GR 7s also flew from HMS Illustrious over Sierra Leone in 2000 and were involved in the second Gulf War during early 2003 acting as Close Air Support for Coalition forces. Using first-hand accounts from his extensive Service contacts, supported by both official and personal photographs and 30 artwork profilTable of Contents(Subject to confirmation) 1. Northern Iraq 2. Bosnia 3. Southern Iraq and Sierra Leone 4. Kosovo and Bosnia 5. Iraq 6. Afghanistan Index

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Book SynopsisIn the years leading up to the First World War, the United Kingdom was subjected to a ferocious campaign of bombing and arson. Those conducting this terrorist offensive were members of the Women's Social and Political Union; better known as the suffragettes. The targets for their attacks ranged from St Paul's Cathedral and the Bank of England in London to theatres and churches in Ireland. The violence, which included several attempted assassinations, culminated in June 1914 with an explosion in Westminster Abbey. Simon Webb explores the way in which the suffragette bombers have been airbrushed from history, leaving us with a distorted view of the struggle for female suffrage. Not only were the suffragettes far more aggressive than is generally known, but there exists the very real and surprising possibility that their militant activities actually delayed, rather than hastened, the granting of the parliamentary vote to British women. AUTHOR: Simon Webb is the author of many non-fiction books, ranging from academic works on education to popular history. He has also written dozens of westerns under both his own name and a variety of pseudonyms, such as Harriet Cade, Fenton Sadler and Jay Clanton. He works as a consultant on the subject of capital punishment to television companies and filmmakers and also writes fro various magazines and newspapers, including the Times educational Supplement, Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. 16 b/w illustrations

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Book SynopsisA timely work of major historical importance, examining the whole spectrum of events from the 1916 Easter Rising to the current and ongoing peace process, fully updated with a new afterword for the paperback edition. ‘An essential book … closely-reasoned, formidably intelligent and utterly compelling … required reading across the political spectrum … important and riveting’ Roy Foster, The Times ‘An outstanding new book on the IRA … a calm, rational but in the end devastating deconstruction of the IRA’ Henry McDonald, Observer ‘Superb … the first full history of the IRA and the best overall account of the organization. English writes to the highest scholarly standards … Moreover, he writes with the common reader in mind: he has crafted a fine balance of detail and analysis and his prose is clear, fresh and jargon-free … sets a new standard for debate on republicanism’Trade Review‘an essential book … closely-reasoned, formidably intelligent and utterly compelling … required reading across the political spectrum … important and riveting’ Roy Foster, The Times ‘an outstanding new book on the IRA … a calm, rational but in the end devastating deconstruction of the IRA’ Henry McDonald, Observer ‘superb … the first full history of the IRA and the best overall account of the organization. English writes to the highest scholarly standards … Moreover, he writes with the common reader in mind: he has crafted a fine balance of detail and analysis and his prose is clear, fresh and jargon-free … sets a new standard for debate on republicanism’ Peter Hart, Irish Times ‘a work which eclipses all other studies of the IRA and must now be regarded as the single most important book on the topic … a penetrating and rewarding study’ Keith Jeffery, Times Literary Supplement ‘excellent book’ Patrick Bishop, Daily Telegraph ‘the best analytical history of the IRA yet written. Even those who grew up with the Troubles will find it a provocative and freshly compelling work. More importantly, perhaps, fifty years from now it will still be required reading – generations who look back and wonder what the Northern conflict was all about will find many of their answers here. Superb … the rigour and depth of English’s analysis is exceptional’ Niall Strange, Sunday Business Post ‘fluent, fascinating account of the origins, actions and ideologies of that caucus of shadows, the Provisional IRA … an enormous challenge of narrative, historical research and tact. In all these regards, English succeeds … his description of what he refers to as the “personal” consequences of republican violence is ultimately as heartbreaking as it is dispassionate’ Joseph O’Neill, Guardian ‘a great book. What impressed me most was the way Richard English managed to present such an historical and contradictory mess with such clarity and fairness. The book grabbed and held me like a very good novel’ Roddy Doyle, author of A Star Called Henry ‘This is a book whose time has come. At a historic moment when Irish republicanism is in the process of redefining itself, a highly-talented historian gives a compelling analysis of its past. The book’s genius lies in its non-judgemental approach, an approach which has induced many leading republicans to speak more frankly to Richard English than they have done to any previous historian. This mixture of skilful historical research and totally new personal statements from key republicans makes this a captivating, authoritative and highly readable book. It is masterly and hard-hitting and is likely to become something of a modern classic.’ Marianne Elliott, author of The Catholics of Ulster ‘an impressive achievement … Richard English’s study is the most probing and thorough analysis

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Book SynopsisAs the western world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden has fought to keep his personal life a mystery – loyalty and fear keeping those who know him from speaking out – until now. For the first time, two of Osama’s closest family members, his first wife Najwa and their fourth son Omar, go behind the headlines to reveal the truth about the character and life of a man feared and revered around the globe. In gripping detail, they recount the drama, tensions, and everyday activities of the man they knew as a husband and father. Married at fifteen, Najwa describes the transformation of the quiet, serious young man she fell in love with into an authoritarian husband and stern father, an entrepreneur, and – finally – the leader of a complex international terrorist network. Uprooted from a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege in Saudi Arabia, they suddenly found themselves living life on the run, fleeing from country to country under assumed names and fake passports. Omar describes how he and his siblings were brought up in remote ranches and fortified Afghani mountain camps, handling Kalashnikovs and learning desert survival skills. Their eventual escape from Afghanistan would come just days before the terrible events of 9/11 changed the world forever. With unprecedented access and exclusive family photographs, Jean Sasson, author of the bestselling Princess, presents the story that we were never meant to hear.Trade Review“A compelling look at the intimate family life of a notorious man, as told by his wife and son.” * Booklist *"Despite her neutrality, her story is still an indictment -- showing us a terrorist leader who is embarrassed easily, obsessed with a long-dead father, terrified of women, and who thinks of his children as nothing more than cannon fodder." * New York Post *"Despite her neutrality, her story is still an indictment -- showing us a terrorist leader who is embarrassed easily, obsessed with a long-dead father, terrified of women, and who thinks of his children as nothing more than cannon fodder." * New York Post *“A compelling look at the intimate family life of a notorious man, as told by his wife and son.” * Booklist *”Always interesting and highly readable, this is recommended for the many people who will wish to learn more about this man.” * Library Journal *"The psychological portrait of the world's most wanted man is all the more devastating for being written by two people who apparently once revered him." * Culture (supplement to the Sunday Times) *"The psychological portrait of the world's most wanted man is all the more devastating for being written by two people who apparently once revered him." * Culture (supplement to the Sunday Times) *“Lifts the lid on the secretive life of the world's most wanted man… It is certainly fascinating, if deeply unnerving, to read such vivid first-hand accounts about life within Osama bin Laden's family.” * Daily Mail *“The most intimate portrait yet of the al Qa’eda leader.” * The National *“Fascinating” * The Sunday Times *“The thrill of being a fly on the wall of the bin Laden family.” * Time Magazine *"Their accounts cannot be subject to normal verification. Even so, they have been woven into a fascinating narrative by an American writer, Jean Sasson" * Catholic Herald *"this thoughtful, well-researched book" * The Good Book Guide *”Always interesting and highly readable, this is recommended for the many people who will wish to learn more about this man.” * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisHellhound on His Trail is the story of two very different men whose lives catastrophically interweaved over the course of some nine months in the late 1960s: one was a thief and con man called James Earl Ray, the other one of the greatest American figures of the twentieth century, Martin Luther King Jr.Hampton Sides follows in Ray''s footsteps as he escapes from prison, creates a new identity for himself and becomes convinced of his mission to kill King. Hellhound on His Trail is equally the story of King himself in his last months, fighting to keep his ideals alive in the face of intensive FBI surveillance and his own exhausted frustration. With relentless storytelling drive, Sides follows Ray and King as they crisscross the country, one stalking the other, until the fateful moment, on 4 April 1968 at a Memphis hotel, when the drifter finally caught up with his prey. Nationwide riots were sparked by the assassination, followed by the largest manhunt in American history.Trade ReviewA remarkable achievement... he manages to combine meticulous research with a writing style that captures the pacing and tension of a compulsive fictional thriller...a powerful, passionately felt retelling of an event that shook the world. -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *An exercise in pure narrative, a nonfiction thriller in which the pace quickens as we approach the late afternoon of Thursday, April 4, 1968. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Viscerally dramatic... creates the momentum of a tightly constructed nonfiction film... spellbinding... bold, dynamic, unusually vivid -- Janet Maslin * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisLearn intervention strategies to counter the effects of terrorismIn the twenty-first century, terrorism has become an international scourge whose effect devastates individuals, weakens societies, and cripples nations. The Trauma of Terrorism: Sharing Knowledge and Shared Care, An International Handbook and Shared Care provides a comprehensive, penetrating look at the effects of terrorism, at the prevention and treatment of immediate and long-term sequelae, at preparedness for terrorism, and at the range of individual, community, and national responses. International authorities discuss the latest knowledge and research about terror, its root causes, and its psychological impact on individuals, families, societies, and nations, as well as the societal and political responses and services that may help lessen its impact.The Trauma of Terrorism: Sharing Knowledge and Shared Care, An International Handbook analyzes the full scope of terrorism. This compendium explorTable of Contents About the Contributors Acknowledgments FOREWORD Terrorism: The United Nations and the Search for Shared Solutions (David Malone) INTRODUCTION The Trauma of Terrorism: Contextual Considerations (Yael Danieli, Danny Brom, and Joe Sills) SECTION I: THE ORIGINS OF TERRORISM IN MODERN SOCIETY The Origins and Nature of Terrorism: Foundations and Issues (Anthony J. Marsella and Fathali M. Moghaddam) Terrorism as a Strategy of Psychological Warfare (Boaz Ganor) Tales from the Underground (Gerald Cromer) Aum Shinrikyo: The Threshold Crossed (Robert Jay Lifton) Voice: Murdered Twin Buddhas and Annihilated Twin Towers: Traumatized Civilization (Hirad Abtahi) Tactical and Strategic Terrorism (Giandomenico Picco) Voice: Do They Kill for Their Mothers? (Joyce M. Davis) Voice: Palestinian Voices Voice: Remembrance Day/Independence Day (Martin Herskovitz) Voice: Terrorism Poem SECTION II: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF TERRORISM Adults in the United States Voice: Grounded on Sept. 11 (David Handschuh) Psychological Impact of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks: Summary of Empirical Findings in Adults (William E. Schlenger) Television Watching and Mental Health in the General Population of New York City After September 11 (Jennifer Ahern, Sandro Galea, Heidi Resnick, and David Vlahov) Voice: Too Close to Ever Forget (Adam Lisberg) Exploring the Myths of Coping with a National Trauma: A Longitudinal Study of Responses to the September 11th Terrorist Attacks (Roxane Cohen Silver, Michael Poulin, E. Alison Holman, Daniel N. McIntosh, Virginia Gil-Rivas, and Judith Pizarro) Somatization and Terrorism (Carol S. North) FINDINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Short- and Long-Term Effects of Terrorist Attacks in Spain (Enrique Baca, Enrique Baca-García, María Mercedes Pérez-Rodríguez, and Maria Luisa Cabanas) Voice: Spain: The ETA Enigma (Al Goodman) Northern Ireland: The Psychological Impact of The Troubles (Andrea Campbell, Ed Cairns, and John Mallett) Voice: Brave Little Man (Tony Maddox) Voice: So What Is It Like Now That Your Country Is Run by a Terrorist? (Brandon Hamber) The Long-Term Effects of Terrorism in France (Louis Jehel and Alain Brunet) Psychological Effects of Terrorist Attacks in Algeria (Noureddine Khaled) Voice: Nadia, a Victim/Survivor of a Terrorist Massacre of Her Family in Algeria (Noureddine Khaled) Short- and Long-Term Effects on the Victims of Terror in Sri Lanka (Daya Somasundaram) Voice: Sri Lanka: The Destruction of South Asia’s Most Developed Society (Barbara Crossette) Observations on the Impact on Kenyans of the August 7, 1998 Bombing of the United States Embassy in Nairobi (Samuel B. Thielman) Voice: We Are Asked to Do Anything and Everything Except Be Victims (Lee Ann Ross) Terror and Trauma in Bali: Australia’s Mental Health Disaster Response (Beverley Raphael, Julie Dunsmore, and Sally Wooding) Voice: Memories of Bali (Alan Atkinson) Voice: A Baptism of Fire in Bali (Bill McNeil) International Findings on the Impact of Terrorism (Brian Engdahl) Traumatic Loss, Complicated Grief, and Terrorism (Ilona L. Pivar and Holly G. Prigerson) Voice: Theo Was on Pan Am 103 (Susan Cohen and Daniel Cohen) Voice: When You Are Alone, It Is Different (Conny Mus) The Psychological Burden of Bioterrorism (Molly J. Hall, Ann E. Norwood, Carol S. Fullerton, Robert Gifford, and Robert J. Ursano) CHILDREN Psychological Impact of Terrorism on Children and Families in the United States (Betty J.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, John Grehan has examined the known planned or proposed assassination attempts on Hitler, from Chicago to London and from Sweden to the Ukraine -some of which have not previously been presented to the general public by historians.

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Book Synopsis**A contributing source for the film Richard Jewell, directed by Clint Eastwood**On July 27, 1996, a hapless former cop turned hypervigilant security guard named Richard Jewell spotted a suspicious bag in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park, the town square of the 1996 Summer Games. Inside was a bomb, the largest of its kind in FBI and ATF history. Minutes later, the bomb detonated amid a crowd of fifty thousand people. But thanks to Richard Jewell, it only wounded 111 and killed two, not the untold scores who would have otherwise died. With the eyes of the world on Atlanta, the Games continued. But the pressure to find the bomber was intense. Within seventy-two hours, Richard went from the hero to the FBI's main suspect. The news leaked and the intense focus on the guard forever changed his life. The worst part: It let, Eric Rudolph, the true bomber roam free to strike again. What really happened that evening during the Olympic Games? The attack left a mark on American history, but most of what we remember is wrong. In a triumph of reporting and access in the tradition of the best investigative journalism, former U.S. Attorney Kent Alexander and former Wall Street Journal reporter Kevin Salwen reconstruct all the events leading up to, during, and after the Olympic bombing from mountains of law enforcement evidence and the extensive personal records of key players, including Jewell himself. The Suspect, the culmination of more than five years of reporting, is a gripping story of the rise of domestic terrorism in America, the advent of the 24/7 news cycle, and an innocent man's fight to clear his name.Trade ReviewThe Suspect is a fascinating reconstruction of the Neo-Gothic tale of Richard Jewell, the security guard who was memorably and unjustly implicated in the 1996 bombing at the Atlanta Olympic games. Meticulously reported, bracingly written, full of memorable and bizarre characters, the book casts a wary eye on the worlds of law enforcement and journalism, and their multiple failures in this tale. It's a story with no winners - except for readers of this terrific book. -- Jeffrey Toobin * bestselling author, staff writer at the New Yorker, and senior legal analyst at CNN *From questionable FBI tactics to the role of the press, The Suspect lays bare how Jewell became their unwitting victim in the rush to solve the biggest and most public crime of the era. It is a cautionary tale that reminds us that criminal investigations are often lengthy and painstaking, ill-suited for today's media frenzy. The Suspect is an important, highly relevant book. -- Janet Napolitano * President of the University of California and Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security *Domestic terror, white nationalism, FBI profilers, a trial by punchline in the infancy of twenty-four-hour news cycle-what happened in Atlanta's Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics still echoes like a bomb blast today in this engrossing and meticulously researched ticktock about the railroading of Richard Jewell and the killer who almost got away. -- Charles Graeber * New York Times bestselling author of The Good Nurse and The Breakthrough *

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Book Synopsis'Very occasionally a journalist starts an avalanche with a single gunshot... Chris Mullin and his TV colleagues belong in the glorious company."-The Observer'One of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter'-Sebastian Faulks, the Independent on Sunday'Whoever planted the bombs in Birmingham...also planted a bomb under the British legal establishment'-Robert Harris, Sunday TimesError of Judgment lit a fire under the establishment when it was first published, shattering the prosecution case against six Irishmen charged with the Birmingham Bombings and going on to change the course of British legal history.On the evening of 21st November 1974, bombs planted by the IRA in two crowded Birmingham pubs exploded, killing 21 people and injuring at least 170. Within a day of the explosion, six men - Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power, Johnny Walker and Hughie Callaghan - were arrested and charged. All were found guilty.Methodically, with total clarity and a tone that is both gripping and impassioned, then investigative journalist Mullin unpicked every detail of the case, revealing gaping holes in the prosecution case and the horrifying consequences of an establishment determined to close ranks.Now 50 years on from the Birmingham Bombings and with new writing from Mullin, this classic edition of Error of Judgement tells the complete story of one of the most significant miscarriages of justice ever. As relevant now as it was when it was first published, it's an essential text on corruption, violence and bias in British policing and justice.Trade ReviewVery occasionally a journalist starts an avalanche with a single gunshot: William Howard Russell of The Times on the condition of the British Army in the Crimea in the 1850s; WT Stead of the Pall Mall Gazette on child prostitution in London in the 1890s; a handful of others. Chris Mullin and his TV colleagues belong in the glorious company * The Observer *One of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter * Sebastian Faulks, the Independent On Sunday *Whoever planted the bombs in Birmingham...also planted a bomb under the British legal establishment * Robert Harris, Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking history of how the 'war on terror' changed virtually every aspect of American life, from the nature of citizenship to the cars Americans bought and the TV they watched

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Book SynopsisIn The Trigger Men, bestselling author Martin Dillon delves into the dark and sinister world of Irish terrorism and counter-terrorism. Over three decades he has interviewed and investigated some of the most professional, dangerous and ruthless killers in Ireland. Now Dillon explores their personalities, motivations and bizarre crimes.Many of Ireland's assassins learned their trade in fields and on hillsides in remote parts of Ireland, while others were trained in the Middle East or with Basque separatist terrorists in Spain. Some were one-target-one-shot killers, like the sniper who terrorised the inhabitants of Washington State in the autumn of 2002, while others were bombers skilled in designing the most sophisticated explosive devices and booby traps. Another more powerful group of 'trigger men' were the influential figures in the shadows, who were experts in motivating the killers under their control. All of these men, whether they squeezed the trigger on a high-powered rifle, set the timer on a bomb or used their authority to send others out to commit horrific and unspeakable acts of cruelty, are featured in this book. The Trigger Men takes the reader inside the labyrinthine world of terrorist cells and highly classified counter-terrorism units of British Military Intelligence. The individual stories are described in gripping, unflinching detail and show how the terrorists carried out their ghastly work. Dillon also explores the ideology of the cult of the gunmen and the greed and hatred that motivated assassins in their killing sprees. There are penetrating insights into the mindset of the most infamous assassins: their social and historical conditioning, their callousness......

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Book SynopsisSecret Service agent Clint Hill reveals the stories behind the iconic images of the five tragic days surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in this 60th anniversary edition of the New York Times bestseller.On November 22, 1963, three shots were fired in Dallas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the world stopped for four days. For an entire generation, it was the end of an age of innocence. That evening, a photo ran on the front pages of newspapers across the world, showing a Secret Service agent jumping on the back of the presidential limousine in a desperate attempt to protect the President and Mrs. Kennedy. That agent was Clint Hill. Now Hill commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of the tragedy with this stunning book containing more than 150 photos, each accompanied by his incomparable insider account of those terrible days. A story that has taken Hill half a century to tell, this is a “riveting, stunning narrative” (Herald & Review, Illinois) of personal and historical scope. Besides the unbearable grief of a nation and the monumental consequences of the event, the death of JFK was a personal blow to a man sworn to protect the first family, and who knew, from the moment the shots rang out in Dallas, that nothing would ever be the same.

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Book SynopsisThis is the true story of the greatest special forces' operation of the 20th Century and the first shot in the West's long war against international terrorism. It is a tale of human drama and unbearable tension in which courage, comradeship, fanaticism, incompetence and luck all play their part.Trade ReviewThis is a minute-by-minute narrative of that week by a scrupulous and thorough historian, who has written what will most likely be the definitive work on the subject and produced a tense and riveting account of what has come to be known as the Entebbe raid. By means of extraordinarily deep research, David essentially lets the characters speak for themselves...This is the achievement of a masterly, first-rate historian. * The New York Times Book Review *It's a brilliantly orchestrated book, wonderfully rich in detail, but at the same time roaring along at a heart-thumping pace... I embarked on this book as someone not particularly interested in the Middle East, or in adventure tales of soldiers in action; I finished it in a state of high tension, buzzing through the pages in the need to know what happened next. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Long fuse. Slow burn. Big bang. A Krakatoa of a tale. * Damien Lewis, author of Operation Certain Death *Combining exceptional research with gripping storytelling, Saul David's Operation Thunderbolt is an unputdownable account of perhaps the most extraordinary Special Forces mission in history. I loved it. * Rowland White, author of 'Vulcan 607' *Totally thrilling, totally poignant. Bringing the greatest special forces operation of modern times blazingly to life, David's book, full of new revelations, written with the excitement of an action-movie, the authority of a historian, is great drama, superb storytelling - and yet tells us much about the Middle East today. * Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem *A brilliant, breathless account that reads like the plot of an action movie. * Sunday Telegraph *Better than fiction can ever hope to be and true to Saul David's characteristically authentic style, this breathtakingly tense and incredibly moving account of history's most audacious Special Forces operation is one of the best true stories I've ever read. Gritty, visceral and edge-of-the-seat dramatic, Operation Thunderbolt ticks all the boxes and is destined to be one of the military history classics of the decade. - Major Chris Hunter, author of Broadcaster and Former Special Forces Bomb Disposal Operator. * Major Chris Hunter, author of Eight Lives Down *Gripping... will introduce a whole new generation of readers to an extraordinary story... The climax of the rescue itself is brilliantly told; nearly 40 years on, you still heave a sigh of relief when the last when the last Hercules lifts off from the Entebbe runway and lumbers off into the night and a new daw for the hostages - and for Israel. * Jewish Chronicle *For the first time in my reading life I felt physically thrilled by a book... Wonderful. -- Jonathan Mirsky * Literary Review *Gripping... As the hours tick down to the threatened bloody denouement, tension mounts and the atmosphere thickens... A page-turner, with its single clear mission, cast of distinct personalities and very filmic scenes. * The Spectator *Told with the style and pace of TV thrillers such as 24. * The Times *A meticulously researched, skilfully constructed, carefully balanced and absorbing book. * The Observer *A ripping read and a meticulously researched work of history. * Evening Standard *Combines phenomenal research with the paciness of a thriller. * Economist Intelligent Life *Well-researched and highly readable. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisIt is, of course, no secret that undercover Special Forces and intelligence agencies operated in Northern Ireland and the Republic throughout the 'troubles', from 1969 to 2001 and beyond. What is less well known is how these units were recruited, how they operated, what their mandate was and what they actually did. This is the first account to reveal much of this hitherto unpublished information, providing a truly unique record of surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, collusion and undercover combat. An astonishing number of agencies were active to combat the IRA murder squads ('the Provos'), among others the Military Reaction Force (MRF) and the Special Reconnaissance Unit, also known as the 14 Field Security and Intelligence Company ('The Det'), as well as MI5, Special Branch, the RUC, the UDR and the Force Research Unit (FRU), later the Joint Support Group (JSG)). It deals with still contentious and challenging issues as shoot-to-kill, murder squads, the Disappeared, and collusion with loyalists. It examines the findings of the Stevens, Cassel and De Silva reports and looks at operations Loughgall, Andersonstown, Gibraltar and others.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2005 Pulitzer PrizeThe explosive, New York Times bestselling first-hand account of America''s secret history in AfghanistanPrize-winning journalist Steve Coll has spent years reporting from the Middle East, accessed previously classified government files and interviewed senior US officials and foreign spymasters. Here he gives the full inside story of the CIA''s covert funding of an Islamic jihad against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, explores how this sowed the seeds of bn Laden''s rise, traces how he built his global network and brings to life the dramatic battles within the US government over national security. Above all, he lays bare American intelligence''s continual failure to grasp the rising threat of terrrorism in the years leading to 9/11 - and its devastating consequences.''Riveting ... the finest historical narrative so far on the origins of al Qaeda in the post-Soviet rubble of Afghanistan ... provides fresh details

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Book Synopsis20 November 1979: as morning prayers began, hundreds of hardline Islamist gunmen, armed with rifles smuggled in coffins, stormed the Grand Mosque in Mecca. With thousands of terrified worshippers trapped inside, the result was a bloody siege that lasted two weeks, caused hundreds of deaths, prompted an international diplomatic crisis and unleashed forces that would eventually lead to the rise of al Qaeda.Journalist Yaroslav Trofimov takes us day-by-day through one of the most momentous and heavily censored events in recent history, interviewing many direct participants in the siege and drawing on secret documents to reveal the truth about the first operation of modern global jihad.Trade ReviewRiveting * Sunday Times *A thriller-like account of an event largely hushed up * The Times *A gripping, highly informed narrative * Financial Times *The first detailed account of the event … brilliantly researched and eye-opening … this is undoubtedly a book of international significance * Herald *A gripping and revealing account of this brutal uprising … The Siege of Mecca is a marvel of investigative journalism … Trofimov's viciously gory account unfolds with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy -- Ziauddin Sardar * New Statesman *Trofimov tells this tale with considerable verve and authority. He has interviewed many of the surviving witnesses and participants in a country suffused with fear and paranoia, and sets the siege within a wider historical context -- Michael Burleigh * Literary Review *A thriller-like account of an event largely hushed up * The Times *

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