Books

Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America, Revised Edition

Average customer rating:

Confused Analysis, Unclear Message
To See Ourselves as Others See Us.
Through Our Enemies' Eyes
Learning about the enemy and our own selves
Excellent!

Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America, Revised Edition
Michael Scheuer
Manufacturer: Potomac Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Saudi Arabia | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror
Inside Terrorism
The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader
Understanding Terror Networks
Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism

ASIN: 1574889672

Book Description

This seminal work on modern terrorism is the one book all Americans must read in order to truly understand the reasons why radical Muslims like Osama bin Laden and his followers have declared war on America and the West. In order to win the war against terrorism, argues Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's bin Laden Unit, we must first stop dismissing militant Muslims as "extremists" or "religious fanatics." Formulating a successful military strategy requires that we see the enemy as they perceive themselves—highly trained and motivated soldiers who believe their cause is righteous.

This revised paperback edition assesses the changes and continuities in Osama bin Laden's thinking since 2002. Scheuer details the overwhelmingly positive benefits that al Qaeda and Sunni militants have derived from the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Specifically, he analyzes how the war has validated bin Laden's decade-old contentions about U.S. malignancy toward Islam, which has brought more Muslims under al Qaeda'cs banner. Moreover, Scheuer shows that the war has accelerated the transformation of bin Laden and al Qaeda from man and organization to, respectively, a symbol of leadership and heroism and a worldwide movement.

Customer Reviews:

Confused Analysis, Unclear Message.......2007-02-02

While I did not read this book, I did attend a 1 1/2 hour lecture given by Scheuer at a local college. I found myself agreeing with the some of his conclusions, but found that he arrived at most of them for all the wrong reasons. I will give here a brief critique of his lecture.

1. Scheuer believes that militant Islam's grievances are valid (to some unspecified extent) and should be addressed. He suggested that the problems with Islamism stem in part from the Arab-Israeli conflict, but then, confusingly, explained that Islamic terror is a global phenomenon [true], citing as an example the Muslim terrorism against Thai Buddhists and the military coup there which recently transpired. Scheuer thinks the "clash of civilizations" would be mitigated if we ceased all support for Israel. Curiously, he thinks it would be desirable to let Israel pursue the harsh measures required to defeat terror without US intervention. But this is odd, coming from a man who thinks US support for Israel is one of the roots of the problem. Does he believe that US restraint of Israel is the problem, or does he think that US involvement with Israel, largely supportive, is the problem? In the lecture, Scheuer stated that America pussyfoots by trying to win "hearts and minds", and openly stated that militant Islam will require the same unambiguously decisive defeat that America inflicted on the Japanese. I don't entirely disagree with that conclusion, but then Scheuer criticizes Israel for being too harsh in its war against Hizballah. Scheuer accuses Israel of barbarously leveling buildings but ignores the thousands of Hizballah rockets that killed hundreds of Israelis. In other words, does Scheuer think that America was justified to exhort Israel to use "proportionate force" when dealing with Hizballah, or does he think Israel should have employed the same overwhelming force that he recommends the US employ in Iraq? Does he think that only the US is entitled to employ overwhelming force and that Israel alone should be prevented from doing so? Which is it?

2. Scheuer repeatedly made the analogy that Bin Laden is a modern incarnation of the Civil War's Stonewall Jackson. I find this fawning comparison to be ahistorical, morally equivalent, and almost offensive. Jackson was not a murderer. Jackson wore a uniform and actually led his men in battle. Jackson was simply a brilliant military commander, like many before and after him. Scheuer's analogy reminds me of a similar one by Yassir Arafat, who stated, "I am like George Washington". Patton was a brilliant tactical commander -- was he like Bin Laden, too?

3. Indeed, it seems that Scheuer ignores 1300 years of history. His analysis of global Islamic militancy starts, more or less, with Khomeini. While a case can be made (a difficult one) that Khomeini initiated a total change in the Islamic weltanschauung, this contention would require significant bolstering on Scheuer's part, given that Islamic conflict with the West hearkens back almost to its inception, and has been waged almost without respite ever since. It can be argued that our clash with Islam represents a discontinuous break from, say, the Ottoman clashes with Russia and Austria, or the Moor's conquest of Spain, or the Saracen invasion of Sicily, and so on -- but he does not provide that argument. Indeed, Scheuer's historiography, while glib and seductive, is rather amateurish and spotty. It doesn't seem to go further than his recommendation that America resuscitate the spirit of General Sherman -- a recommendation that, while not without its merits, is founded on a rather superficial historical comparison.

4. Scheuer's explanation for why (he assumes?) Bin Laden is alive was utterly unconvincing. "We would know if he was dead," he stated. When asked why Bin Laden has not seized the rich propaganda opportunity to taunt the West by making new video appearances, Scheuer asserted - incredibly - that Bin Laden does not desire to taunt the West. He contends, therefore, that Bin Laden does not relish propaganda opportunities. His is certainly an interesting theory, but not convincing in my view.

5. Scheuer characterized the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as "infantile". Scheuer fails to mention if there are any other conflicts around the world, or in history, that he regards as infantile. He apparently feels that calling the conflict "infantile" is helpful. Scheuer suffers from the disease of moral equivalency here, treating both sides as equally responsible for the conflict. Any recognition of Israel's peace overtures at the Camp David accords and at Oslo was absent.

6. Scheuer stated that no nation, including the US, has a "right" to exist. He did not explain this comment in greater detail, but by implication, he therefore believes that the last victor in a struggle is by definition, legitimate -- that is, that might makes right.

7. Scheuer dredges up the favorite bogeyman of the Left and of America-Last conservatives -- Neocons! He stated (and I quote) that "Neoconservatives manufactured the Islamic Caliphate." Given that the caliphate first appeared during 7-8th century Islamic conquest, I find his assertion hard to swallow. Love Neocons or hate them, it is hard to take Scheuer seriously when he makes comments so obviously absurd. In general, Scheuer claims that many of our current problems with Islamic militancy is our fault. He derides US foreign policy for supporting dictators, like Mubarak, but did not adequately address the alternative, in this case the Muslim Brotherhood. If not Mubarak, then what? Scheuer apparently believes that Muslims are justified in rioting around the world because of cartoons in a Danish newspaper. It is not clear how Scheuer would attack these difficulties -- should we stop publishing cartoons? Should there be censorship? Should we bow and scrape whenever Muslims are offended?

8. Scheuer neglects to mention that the US rescued Muslims in Kosovo, saved Shia and Kurds in Iraq, and helped Bin Laden's own Mujaheddin repulse the Soviet aggression in Afghanistan, and yet, somehow, asserts that we are still responsible for the (valid?) negative perception of the US among Muslims. He feels that terror will decrease if we take steps to make us more popular with terrorists.

9. Scheuer resigned from the CIA to protest the Bush Administration's handling of the War on Terror, or rather, its mishandling at the hands of the dreaded Neocons. But Scheuer does not explain why he opted not to resign under Clinton, who did not act to kill Bin Laden when he had the chance. Scheuer himself harshly condemns Clinton for that decision, but fails to explain why Clinton's errors did not merit a resignation but Bush's alleged errors do. This leads the listener to wonder if his resignation wasn't motivated by some mysterious personal reason. More to the point, if Scheuer has so much vitriol for the alleged mismanagement of the War on Terror by Neoconservatives, why does he also berate the Clinton administration for mismanagement -- an administration which did not contain Neoconservatives?

10. Scheuer derides the media's hand wringing and "whining" about the war, yet he himself, as the CBS "Terrorism Expert", seems part of the problem. I have not seen him forcefully take his own network to task (let alone the media as a whole) for glorifying failure, ignoring successes, and furthering its own demonstrably Leftist bias.

11. Scheuer decries President Bush and his alleged Neocon cabal for involving us in Iraq. Certainly, I would not argue his Presidency is free of mistakes. Yet Bush's decision was based on intelligence furnished not only by the CIA, but by the British MI5 and also French intelligence. If the intelligence made available to Bush was flawed, it seems unfair, in the absence of other details, to criticize the White House for its decision to go to war.

Some of Michael Scheuer's recommendations seem correct -- use overwhelming force, cease support for dictators, or jettison Europe, for example. But he appears to arrive at them via a twisted path of factual omissions and contradictions. Scheuer seems to suffer from a type of analytical schizophrenia, or cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, he adopts the rather Leftist positions that we are responsible for Islamic antipathy toward us, that Israel is the problem, that we have inflamed the Muslim world, and that Iraq has created more terrorists. On the other, he regards US military actions as timid. Indeed, Scheuer's lecture left me not only dismayed by his apparently romantic attachment to Bin Laden as an anti-hero, but wondering, simply, whether Scheuer himself contributed to the ineffectiveness of the CIA during his tenure. Until Scheuer can answer these and other questions, I will refrain from spending time and money on his books.

To See Ourselves as Others See Us........2006-03-15

The Scottish poet Robert Burns once said, "Oh would some power the gift give us, To see ourselves as others see us!

And in this day and age, the 'others' that really concern me include Osama bin Laden and the people in al Queda. This book does just that. It quotes bin Laden and associates to see what they are really saying rather than the quick thirty second news bite so favored by the news organizations when they can't find any blood to photograph.

This book takes bin Laden's statements, and in an interesting turn-about compares them with statements of a very similar nature made by Americans related to our revolution. He then goes on to show how bin Laden views the Americans not too differently from the way the American Patriots viewed England in 1776. (Strange how patriot or terrorist may be the same people depending on the eye of the looker.)

All in all, this is a very frightening book. It says that the anger from bin Laden is real, based on actual events, and not an isolated case, but spread throughout the Muslim world. Perhaps all Muslims would not be willing to go to the extremes to crash into the World Trade Center. It is clear however, that there are enough holding these views to provide the ocean in which the 'extremists,' 'religious fanatics,' 'terrorists,' 'guerrillas,' or 'patriots' can swim.

All in all, I rank this book as one of the three 'must reads,' anyone interested in what happens now must read. The other two are 'The 9/11 Commission Report,' and 'The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order' by Samuel P. Huntington.

There are a lot of reviewers of all three of these books who seem so rabidly angry at President Bush that they reject everything that these books have to say. I really like one review of 'Clash' who asked what a bunch of people living in a backward country like Afghanistan could possibly do to hurt the United States. That was before 9/11.

Through Our Enemies' Eyes.......2006-02-25

This book is four years old in facts yet has a 2006 copyright. Is beneficial for someone not familiar with Osama bin Laden but little benefit for someone who has good backround knowledge.

Learning about the enemy and our own selves.......2005-11-24

This book came out after 9-11 and in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion. First published with an anonymous author, only later did Michael Schurer claim responsibility for this incredible, insightful work. This book takes the reader into the lives of Bin Laden and other members of Al Queda and other Radical Islamic groups from their childhood days to the 21st century. Along the way, the author shows how events like the Afghan war, the Cold War, the UN mission in Somalia, and others affected the formation and evolution of Al Queda and related groups. The author specifically makes it a point of showing how the West, and the US specifically, is viewed through the eyes of Bin Laden and his followers.

One noteworthy subject contained in this book is the parallels drawn between Al Queda and the US Founding Fathers. There is a common perception that Al Queday and other groups like them are totally new phenomena in this world. Not so claims the author; many of the events and trends that mark the history and membership of Al Queda are also shared by the founding fathers. Some of these are as follows.

1. The Founding Fathers were by and large secular humanists. They all went to church, but none of them derived their livelihood from the ministry. Likewise, the Al Queda founders all had secular careers: engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, bankers, etc... few of them were mullahs. Yet both groups made allusions to God (Allah) in their propaganda, their goals, and in their speeches as a way to rally the masses.

2. The Founding Fathers were all well-educated white males, predominantly from wealthy land-owning families. Likewise, Bin Laden and those like him are mainly college-educated Arab males, predominantly from wealthy land-owning families. In both cases, the rebels were firmly in the upper-crust of their respective socieites.

3. The Founding Fathers by and large had successful careers within the British colonial administration, and were loyal to the British crown at first, and slowly switched sides during the 1770s. For example, George Washington was a soldier in the British military. Likewise, many of Al Queda's founders went to school in the West, worked in Western corporations, or held government posts in Western-supported governments. Only after US troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia did their allegiance change.

4. The American founding fathers came not just from the original 13 colonies, but from Europe itself, and other lands; Alexandar Hamilton was born in the Caribbean. Coming from various backgrounds and geographical origins, they came to know each other in the French and Indian Wars of the 1760's along the US - Canada border. Our founding fathers nearly all fought on the British side, against the French. Yet the continuuing presence of British troops on colonial soil eventually led to the colonists turning against their former ally. Likewise, the various Al Queda founding members came to know each other thru the Afghan War of the 1980s. Aided by the US, they fought and helped to defeat the USSR. Later, it was the presence of US troops on their religious homeland (Saudi Arabia) that led them to turn against their former ally, the US.

5. When the 13 colonies fought against the British Empire, the colonies were essentially ruled by small, white, Protestant, landowning male cliques. At that time, Britain was more democratic than the US in every sense of the word; women had more rights in Britian than in the colonies, slavery was already illegal, and Catholics had more rights. In essence, in the American war of independence, less free society defeated the more free society. Ironically, the US is more free and democratic than any of the Arab nations from which Al Queda draws membership. Does this parallel extend here to imply the US will lose the war on terror?

All in all, a very insightful and intriguing book. Well worth reading by any American or Arab.

Excellent!.......2005-07-10

Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam and the Future of America is a very good book.

What many people don't understand, is that Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, etc. depise not only the USA, the Jews and Israel... it is the Christians and Catholics of the world also.

The Christians and Catholics think they have nothing to worry about, that is not true. They are next on radical Islam's hit list.

Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam & the Future of America

Average customer rating:

Something to keep in mind
How radical Islam operates
Just a comment on a review
Frightening Assessment
Bin Laden's sycophantic "critic"

Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam & the Future of America
Michael Scheuer
Manufacturer: Potomac Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Islamic | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror
Inside Terrorism
Understanding Terror Networks
Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
The Road To Al-Qaeda: The Story of Bin Laden's Right-Hand Man (Critical Studies on Islam)

ASIN: 1574885537

Book Description

Describes the motives and determination of radical Muslims like Osama bin Laden and their quest to destroy America and the West

Reveals why America was so profoundly unprepared for the murderous attacks of September 11 and how we can prevent similar events from happening again

Written by an anonymous member of the U.S. intelligence community using sources previously unexploited

This is the one book all Americans must read in order to truly understand the reasons why radical Muslims like Osama bin Laden and his followers have declared war on America and the West. Furthermore, this is the only book to accurately describe the severity of the threat they will continue to pose, with or without bin Laden's leadership, to our national security.

In order to win the war against terrorism, the author argues that we must first stop dismissing militant Muslims as "extremists" or "religious fanatics." Formulating a successful military strategy requires that we must see the enemy as they perceive themselves—highly trained and motivated soldiers who fervently believe their cause is righteous. The author describes how militants throughout the Islamic world are enraged by what they believe is Western aggression against their people, religion, and culture. Though bin Laden declared war on America years ago—not once but twice—the author argues that American complacence in the face of such violent threats stems from the increasing secularization and moral relativism of American society and culture. Even if bin Laden is brought to justice, the author warns, the dangers posed by radical Islamic militants will not disappear, and we must be prepared for a protracted war against terrorism. This is an important book that will make a major impact on how America thinks about its enemy and itself.

Customer Reviews:

Something to keep in mind.......2007-02-13

A professor of mine was once discussing the economic motivation for terrorism in a course designed to look at social ills around the world through the lens of economics. He abruptly stopped, half-way through the middle of a sentence, solemnly looked above his reading glasses at the students in the class, and said one of the most interesting things I remember from the class. "I am an academic," he said. "When speaking of these events, I am not making a moral judgment on them. I am simply looking at them through the lens of an individual trying to understand something for the sake of dealing with it. That does not mean that I condone or am complicit in the action, but it does note my character. I am trying to understand it, and that is something very different from simply labeling it."

Often, when I see that people are attacked for books that delve into such topics, it is usually an ad hominem attack meant to discredit them as unpatriotic or complicit with the enemy. Whatever their reasons, the attackers forget that to conquer your enemy, you must understand him. Only then can you fully realize the most effective tactics in dealing with him. Maybe the rest of us can learn a little bit by people like Michael Scheuer.

How radical Islam operates.......2006-04-23

Any studying Islamic terrorism and the current war must understand Bin Laden, his movement, and how radical Islam operates. There's no better place to do this than with the latest revised edition THROUGH OUR ENEMIES' EYES: OSAMA BIN LADEN, RADICAL ISLAM AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. Here is a treatment which analyzes his ideology, its translation to terrorist activities, and its potential for future conflict. Chapters provide a strong focus on Bin Laden's character traits, various exiles, impact on other nations, and instigation of jihad. A 'must' for any who would understand the roots of Bin Laden's organization and ideas.

Just a comment on a review.......2006-04-20

One review here states:

"The one peeve I have with the author, as with so most of the pseudo-journalists today, is that he consistantly referred to the Muslim god "Allah" as "God." Indeed, most of the time you read or hear an English translation of an Arabic source, "Allah" is usually rendered "God." It has to be pointed out that "Allah" is not the same person as "God." All that has to be pointed out to prove that point is that Allah has no son named Jesus Christ, though I could go on and on about the distinctions. Christians and Muslims do NOT worship the same Being."

Actually, Muslims DO believe they worship the same god as that revered by those they call the 'people of the book' - just that Mohammad's revelations were the last and final word on matters (superceding all others).

The Muslim call to prayer begins "la allah illa Allah", which means EXACTLY, "There is no god but God". I hear it five times a day from a hundred mosques in this city.

Frightening Assessment.......2006-03-18

I titled this review "Frightening Assessment" because if the author is correct, which I tend to agree he is, the war on terror is going to last a lot longer than any of us have imagined, or else end in quick defeat when the liberals completely sell us out to the enemy.

The author makes the point that Osama Bin Laden, while being a charasmatic leader, is not the real problem. The problem is that we, like it or not, are fighting an ideology that presents itself as a religion, and ideology/religion is absolutely devoted to the destruction of Western society. The problem is like the mythical Hydra: cut off one head and two more will spring into its place. In other words, this war will continue long after Bin Laden is roasting in Hell.

With that said, what will ultimately defeat us is not the enemy directly, but our lack of understanding of who the enemy actually is and why they hate us. Until we recognize that we will be severely, possibly fatally, handicapped.

The one peeve I have with the author, as with so most of the pseudo-journalists today, is that he consistantly referred to the Muslim god "Allah" as "God." Indeed, most of the time you read or hear an English translation of an Arabic source, "Allah" is usually rendered "God." It has to be pointed out that "Allah" is not the same person as "God." All that has to be pointed out to prove that point is that Allah has no son named Jesus Christ, though I could go on and on about the distinctions. Christians and Muslims do NOT worship the same Being.

Why do I make that point? That very issue is at the heart of the misunderstanding that this same author so aptly discusses.

Bin Laden's sycophantic "critic".......2006-03-14

As this book is re-released, readers should be well aware that Michael Scheuer is the perfect example of the miserable state of American intelligence services - thankfully, he no longer provides analysis for the CIA, now it's the general public that gets to read his "intelligence". A great example of his extraordinary incompetence was provided on March 12, 2006 when he suggested to Ian Masters on KPFK, Los Angeles, that the attack on Samarra's Golden Mosque was more likely carried out by the Israeli military than by al-Qaida. From this text, as with his most recent pronouncements, it is indeed difficult not to conclude that Scheuer is absolutely besotted with bin Laden.

Books:

Books