cover image Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa’ida Since 9/11

Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa’ida Since 9/11

Seth G. Jones. Norton, $27.95 (448p) ISBN 978-0-393-08145-9

Jones (In the Graveyard of Empires), an analyst at RAND and an adjunct professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, explores the waxing and waning of al-Qaeda in this sprawling narrative history. Drawing on court records from terrorism trials, government documents, and interviews with well-placed officials, Jones proposes a wave theory of al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorism. The first wave began with the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa in 1998, crested on 9/11, and ebbed as al-Qaeda was flushed from Afghanistan. The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 “provided [al-Qaeda] an opportunity for redemption” and “triggered a new wave of attacks in the West.” This second wave ended when Iraq’s Sunni tribes united against al-Qaeda’s harsh “punishment strategy.” The third wave, characterized by “homegrown plots” inspired by al-Qaeda, began in 2007 and ended with the deaths of bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders. Despite the reversals, Jones warns that the war on terror is far from over and that the goal of the U.S. should now be “prevent[ing] a fourth wave.” The author’s cycles, however tenuous, lead him to propose a preventive strategy of “implementing a light-footprint” and “helping local governments establish basic law and order.” Jones’s detailed history is a timely addition to the debate over the way forward against international terrorism. Agent: William Lupfer, WME. (May)