US Intelligence and Al Qaeda

Much ink has been spilled on analysing the narratives and discourse of Al-Qaeda and other Sunni militant Islamist (“jihadi”) organizations since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks carried out by Usama bin Laden’s group. The book under review uses a densely theoretical approach toward understanding and analysing jihadi rhetoric, an approach built on ‘analysis by contrasting narratives (ACN),’ which is meant to increase ‘the diversity of perspectives on events and circumstances, [highlighting] the significance of narratives in grasping and shaping intelligence problems’ (p. 1). The author, a faculty member teaching intelligence and security at the Netherlands Defence Academy, recognizes that a broader understanding of intelligence and the changing notions of what intelligence entails are needed in the contemporary global environment.

Intelligence gathering and analysis is no longer monopolized, if it ever was, by nation-state governments. Non-state actors, including jihadi organizations such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), are also actively engaged in collecting intelligence for their own strategic uses. Even at the nation-state level, intelligence today encompasses much more than just military affairs and traditional notions and practices of espionage; today it also includes an understanding of the broader societal, economic, social and environmental issues at play that affect national security.