Middle East - Diplomatic Relations with the U.S., 20th Century American History - Relations - General & Miscellaneous, U.S. Diplomatic Relations - General & Miscellaneous, Middle Eastern History - Modern - General & Miscellaneous, Iraq War, 2003

Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam after Iraq

Name: Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam after Iraq
Author: Michael Scheuer
ISBN: 9780743571685

by Michael Scheuer, Michael Scheuer (Read by)

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Overview

When Michael Scheuer first questioned the goals of the Iraq War in his 2004 bestseller Imperial Hubris, policymakers and ordinary citizens alike stood up and took notice. Now, Scheuer offers a scathing and frightening look at how the Iraq War has been a huge setback to America's War on Terror, making our enemy stronger and altering the geopolitical landscape in ways that are profoundly harmful to U.S. interests and security concerns.

Marching Toward Hell is not just another attack on the Bush administration. Rather, it sounds a critical alarm that must be heard in order to preserve the nation's security. Scheuer outlines the ways that America's foreign policy since the end of the Cold War has undermined the very goals for which we are fighting and played right into bin Laden's hands. The ongoing instability in Iraq, for example, has provided al Qaeda and its allies with the one thing they want most: a safe haven from which to launch operations across borders into countries that were previously difficult for them to reach. With U.S. forces and resources spread thinner every day, the war has depleted our strength and brought al Qaeda a kind of success that it could not have achieved on its own.

A twenty-plus-year CIA veteran, Scheuer headed the agency's Osama bin Laden unit, managed its covert-action operations, and authored its rendition program. Scheuer spent his career developing strategies to keep America safe, by any means deemed necessary by the presidents he served. It was his job to take available intelligence and devise plans to protect Americans, without considering bias, position, or even existing alliances. In Marching Toward Hell, Scheuertakes on the questions of "What went wrong?" and "How can we fix this?" and proposes a plan to cauterize the damage that has already been done and get American strategy back on track. He lists a number of painful recommendations for how we must shift our ideological, military, and political views in order to survive, even if that means disagreeing with Israeli policy or launching more brutal campaigns against terrorists.

America holds its destiny in its hands, Scheuer says, yet not nearly enough has been done to defend America and destroy its Islamist enemies. This is an eye- opening, alarming, contentious, and ultimately fascinating examination of how far off track the War on Terror has gone, and a critical read in understanding what we must do to save it.

About the Author, Michael Scheuer

Michael Scheuer is a twenty-plus-year CIA veteran. From 1996 to 1999, he

served as the Chief of the bin Laden unit (aka Alec Station), the Osama bin

Laden tracking unit at the Counterterrorism Center. He then worked as Special

Adviser to the Chief of the bin Laden unit from September 2001 to November 2004.

He resigned from the CIA in 2004. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of

Security Studies at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown

Foundation, writing regularly for its online publication Global Terrorism

Analysis. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

Michael Scheuer began his public writing career in anonymity. His first two books (Through Our Enemies' Eyes; Imperial Hubris) were both published anonymously: As a 22-year employee of the Central Intelligence Agency and former head of the CIA's Osama Bin Laden unit, Scheuer knew that he was expected to keep his expert conclusions private. Now out in the open, this outspoken anti-terrorism analyst has attacked officials and candidates across party lines. In Marching to Hell, he explains how American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War have undermined our goals and played into the hands of our enemies. He argues that the Iraqi adventure has provided al Qaeda and its allies with new bases for further attacks.

Publishers Weekly

Scheuer-an author, narrator, former CIA agent and chief, and Georgetown University professor-has a hand in every aspect of this book. Detailing the ways in which U.S. foreign policy has actually been working against the country since the Cold War, Scheuer's material is detailed, fascinating and well researched. His role as narrator, however, fails to live up to the high standards he has set for himself. While his delivery is firm and clear, he tries much to hard to impress the listener and convey his material in a straightforward manner, so as not to lose anyone along the way. His voice becomes machine-like and drones on, losing the audience he is trying so hard to retain. The material might be enough to keep many involved, but casual listeners will be disappointed. Simultaneous release with the Free Press hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 24, 2007). (Feb.)