Peter Bergen, a British journalist, is a veteran of print and television journalism and has done extensive reporting about al-Qaeda for more than a decade. He has appeared on the BBC, Channel 4, CNN, and NBC. His work has been cited hundreds of times by leading magazines and newspapers around the world.
"The Longest War is ambitious both in scope and aims...you need to
understand al-Qaida, and Bergen, with this detailed, serious,
scrupulously fair, perceptive and sometimes startling work has made
a significant contribution to us doing exactly that."--The
Guardian
"The Longest War is his history of a daunting subject that succeeds
where other books have failed. That's because the author was one of
the few people onto al-Qaeda years before the instant experts
cropped up. And he is still there watching, long after most of
those so-called experts packed it in and moved on."--The Globe and
Mail
'In The Longest War Bergen attempts to provide us with an
overarching narrative of the first ten years of the epic struggle
that resulted from the 9/11 attacks, and he does an admirable job
of it." -Christian Caryl, The Washington Monthly
"The Longest War is by far the best and most comprehensive book on
the conflict so far."--Sunday Times
"The Longest War is Mr. Bergen's magnum opus.... essential
reading."--The Washington Times
""The Longest War" is a useful synopsis of the struggle we've come
to call the war on terror, and he chronicles it with the keen eye
of an experienced journalist and on-the-ground observer. Bergen,
who actually has interviewed Bin Laden and is the author of two
books on him, gives a particularly good view of Al Qaeda's
operative behavior -- it's much more bureaucratic than you might
imagine -- as well as a gripping re-creation of what went wrong at
Tora Bora, the last opportunity the U.S. had to apprehend or kill
Bin Laden." -LA Times
"[a] readable and well-reported appraisal"--The Economist
"A grippingly important work that belongs on the shelf alongside
The Looming Tower and Ghost Wars."---The Daily Beast
"A revelatory, pull-no-punches history of the War on Terror, from
before 9/11 to the present day...One of the deepest and most
disturbing investigations of one of the defining issues of our
era."--Kirkus, starred review
"Drawing on vast firsthand knowledge of the region and mining a
huge stock of primary and secondary material, including his own
interviews with combatants, the book's depth of detail and breadth
of insight make it one of the more useful analysis of the ongoing
conflict."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"For readers interested in a highly informed, wide-angled,
single-volume briefing on the war on terror so far, The Longest War
is clearly that essential book."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York
Times
"For years, I tried to read every new novel about how 9/11 affected
our lives. Some were very thoughtful, but I always came away
unsatisfied, feeling that the authors had worked hard but had
somehow fallen short. As I read the stunning first section of Peter
L. Bergen's new book on the war between the United States and Al
Qaeda, I realized I had been looking in the wrong genre. None of
the novels were as effective or moving as "The Longest War," which
is a history of our time. ... "The Longest War" is one of the most
important accounts on the subject to appear in years. But be
warned: You will read it and weep."
-Thomas E. Ricks, The New York Times Book Review
"His important history of the war on terrorism....The greatest
strength of The Longest War is that it provides a detailed history
of what has occurred since al-Qaeda first appeared on the terrorist
scene. Uniquely, it tells the history from three sides: the
Americans involved in prosecuting the war; ordinary Muslims, the
vast majority of whom remain unmoved by bin Laden's siren call; and
the many terrorists and sympathizers whom Bergen has sought out in
the field or whose voluminous writings he expertly synthesizes. The
Longest War is also a very good read."--Washington Post
"Peter Bergen has long since established himself as America's most
authoritative and insightful analyst on Osama bin Laden and
al-Qaeda, and time and again has given the nation an unblinking
glimpse into the mind of the enemy. Now, with The Longest War, he
has performed perhaps his greatest public service with what is
certainly the finest comprehensive history of the war on terror yet
written. Weaving together the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the
broader anti-terror campaigns of Bush and Obama, he does something
nearly impossible. He explains how we got here from 9/11."
--James Risen, author of State of War: The Secret History of the
CIA and the Bush Administration
"Peter Bergen has produced a masterful, definitive assessment of
Al-Qaeda and America since September 11 - rich with new details,
elevated by careful analysis, and quickened by riveting characters
and stories. This is essential reading."--Steve Coll, two-time
Pulitzer Prize winning author of Ghost Wars and The Bin Ladens
"Peter Bergen's The Longest War is indispensable history.
Authoritative and ambitious, it provides a damning account of the
fitful fight against Islamic terrorism that every American should
read."
--Jane Mayer, author of The Dark Side: How the War on Terror Turned
Into a War on American Ideals
"When the War on Terror is consigned to the history books, one name
will dominate as the steady, clear-eyed chronicler of that period.
Peter Bergen was among the first to note the rise of al-Qaeda, and
he is still on the case. The Longest War is a vital and essential
account of the central conflict of our times."
--Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the
Road to 9/11
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