Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State

Soufan (The Black Banners), a Lebanon-born former FBI special agent who specialized in antiterrorism, takes a deep look at the inner workings, ideology, internal politics, and strategies of modern Islamic terrorism. Based on unclassified sources as well as on detailed knowledge from Soufan’s time in the FBI, the book follows the evolution of Islamic terrorism in the post–bin Laden era. One of the major points of focus here is the divisions among different terrorist leaders regarding strategy. A primary example concerns those who see the goal of terror as the defeat of the U.S. as compared with those who see their primary purpose as defeating local leaders. Soufan describes how Osama bin Laden’s death combined with the rise of the Islamic State to deal a double blow to al-Qaeda. He concludes, however, that the eclipse of al-Qaeda by the Islamic State is only temporary. This is the war on terror as seen from the other side; Soufan covers the backgrounds, families, and personal connections of the top terrorist leaders, and how those relationships influence decisions on strategy and organization. Soufan reveals himself to be a true expert on the subject and this is an important read for understanding these groups’ goals and operations. (May)