Bruce Riedel is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies and the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

"Al Qaeda is the most dangerous terrorist network in history. Its charismatic and elusive leader, Osama bin Laden, has been Public Enemy Number One since the horrific attacks of September 11, while its presence in Iraq and Afghanistan remains among the most problematic aspects of those wars. Yet most people outside the Middle East know very little about al Qaeda. If the first rule of war is to know your enemy, then Western democracies have a long way to go. Bruce Riedel fills the breach with a comprehensive analysis of al Qaeda, illuminating the origins, leadership, ideology, vulnerabilities, and strategy of the terrorist network that brought down the Twin Towers and continues to threaten us today." "The Search for al Qaeda analyzes the creation and development of the terror network, presenting authoritative and chilling background on the "Manhattan Raid" of September 11, but then switches focus to what has happened since that awful day. Riedel outlines al Qaeda's ultimate goals: to drive America out of the Muslim world, to destroy Israel, and to create a new jihadist superstate. The biographies and subsequent analysis reveal the terrorists' multipronged strategy for accomplishing goals, including their desire to build a safe haven in nuclear-armed Pakistan. The book concludes with a strategy for dealing with - and defeating - this most dangerous menace."--BOOK JACKET.