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How to Defeat Terrorism Without Terrorizing Ourselves
Crown
May 2008
On Sale: May 6, 2008
320 pages
ISBN: 0307382176
EAN: 9780307382177
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Written by a man who is arguably the countryΓ’β¬β’s most authoritative voice on counterterrorism, Crush the Cell demolishes, with simple logic, the edifice of false Γ’β¬Εterror punditryΓ’β¬Β that has been laid, brick by brick, since 9/11. A veteran of special ops, international diplomacy, and bruising clashes with federal law enforcement agencies, Michael Sheehan delivers in this book a two-part message: First, that weΓ’β¬β’ve wastedΓ’β¬βand are continuing to wasteΓ’β¬βbillions of dollars on the wrong protective measures, and second, that knowing the bad guysΓ’β¬β’ next move is paramount. Somewhere in America, Sheehan maintains, are a number of terrorist cells, their membersΓ’β¬β’ heads filled with schemes of mayhem and destruction. Motivated not, as some believe, by feelings of disenfranchisement, disdain for freedom, or economic envy but by a compelling ideological hatred, these individuals plot not just terror but paralyzing terrorΓ’β¬βthe kind that can shut down a country. Unwittingly aiding and abetting them are many (but not all) Γ’β¬Εterror expertsΓ’β¬Β and members of the media who, for reasons that are partly self- serving, rate the bad guysΓ’β¬β’ capabilities far higher than they are, playing into terroristsΓ’β¬β’ hands with their hype. Spurred by the punditsΓ’β¬β’ inflated assessments, legislation follows that drains billions from taxpayersΓ’β¬β’ pockets and pours money into a bloated Washington bureaucracy championing needless programs. Here, Sheehan shows why defensive fortresses donΓ’β¬β’t work, but offensive operational intelligence does. He also peels back the mystery surrounding terrorist cells, portraying them as, typically, a group of bumblers searching for a charismatic leader who has what it takes to conduct a complex symphony of violence. Sharing time in the narrative spotlight are not just agents of al Qaeda, but also frighteningly destructive lone wolves, cults, and radical movements. In his career, Sheehan has operated in the mountain jungles of Central America, the back alleys of Mogadishu, and the teeming streets of New York CityΓ’β¬βbut he has also participated at the highest levels of policy making at the White House, the State Department, and the United Nations. ItΓ’β¬β’s his time protecting AmericaΓ’β¬β’s most populous city as its counterterrorism czar, however, that yields this bookΓ’β¬β’s most fascinating insights. As Sheehan reveals thwarted threats to New YorkΓ’β¬β’s bridges, subways, and landmarks, and recounts extraordinary simulations staged to gauge terroristsΓ’β¬β’ true abilities, we gain perhaps the clearest picture yet of what modern terror-fighting is all about.
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