The next president of the United States faces innumerable complex
problems, from a possible prolonged recession to climate change. An
immediate difficulty for the president will be the global conflict
between the West and Islamic jihadists and state sponsors of terrorism.
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission notwithstanding, the
administration needs to be armed and ready to tackle much more in the
areas of intelligence and counterterrorism. The president can and must
assume a hands-on, informed leadership role if the United States wants
to make progress in the war on terror. Gary Berntsen has written this
book as a guide for an incoming president and White House staff so that
they may master current human intelligence and counterterrorism
operations. After reading its highly specific recommendations and policy
prescriptions, the president and his or her staff will be able to draft
a First Directive for the leadership of the intelligence and national
security communities outlining how the administration wants those
communities to proceed and to defend the nation's interests. Human
Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership will be of
interest to legislators, policymakers, and anyone concerned about
intelligence and terrorism policy. With a foreword by Seth G. Jones, a
political scientist at the RAND Corporation and Adjunct Professor in the
Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is the author of
In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan and The
Rise of European Security Cooperation.
