| View Larger Image | Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership: A Practical Guide | Hardcoverby Gary Berntsen (Author), Seth G. Jones (Foreword)
| List Price: | $19.95 | | Price: | $13.57 | | You Save: | $6.38 (32%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | Potomac Books Inc. | | Edition: | 1st Edition | | Page Count: | 154 Pages | | Publication Date: | October 31, 2008 | | Sales Rank: | 203,718rd |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
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. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 6 reviews)
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Serves as an open letter of sorts to the next leader of the free world by Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)  5 Stars
February 09, 2009
Knowledge is power, but knowledge is a power that's hard to use well. "Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, & National Leadership: A Practical Guide" serves as an open letter of sorts to the next leader of the free world on dealing with the many problems America faces in coming years. Pulling no punches, Berntsen discusses the war on terror with great deal, its policies, its leaders, and the political parties, and criticizes both a great deal. Educated and scholarly reading on America's problems when it comes to dealing with terror, "Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, & National Leadership" is very much recommended reading.
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Reality not rehearsal by David B. O'Connor (Boston, Massachusetts 02115) 5 Stars
January 07, 2009
When addressing the public in matters intelligence, the greatest obstacle is keeping reined in. GB keeps this issue in focus, not easy as the public does TV and cinema flashbacks in seconds. When explaining complex matters simplicity id best. GB excels in this. Point by point, candor without contempt ,no-fringe detailing and recommendations are just put out there. Training, languages, leadership, languages, risk, languages - please note - Language Training!
With my A+ or 100% affirmative, I hold one reservation.
Can the Freedom Corps function, no just above regions and ethnicities with indiginous people, but will the fighters against islamic fanaticism be able to give loyalty to us when there is a call for religious dominance or caliphate.
Could taqiya suborn and oath to us?
And that question is what makes this book dynamic.
Risk is an sidehick to intelligence opertions.
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A truly "practical" guide! by Betty G. OHearn (Hickory, NC) 5 Stars
December 07, 2008
Mr. Bernsten wrote this book to share what he has learned both right, wrong and otherwise in his illustrious and decorated career. These kinds of books are not written to make money. They are written for the love of the profession and how to make the entire genre better. The book is "A Practical Guide." It is clear and concise.
I am quite sorry that Mr. Steele feels the way he does. Perhaps there is a tinge of jealousy there.
Mr.Bernsten had a home run with his work "Jaw Breaker" and his most recent "The Walk-In." Crossing over to write "Human Intelligence.." only shows he loved his work and the agency he worked for. What came out of his career is how to make HUMIT, CT and leadership better.
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A clear and concise book by J. Armstrong (Florida) 5 Stars
November 17, 2008
Fascinating book. Berntsen provides some interesting insights and recommendations on how we should fix problems at the CIA and in the national security apparatus. At a time when most critics want to destroy the Agency, Berntsen provides some plain spoken sanity. Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism and National Leadership needs to be read by anyone entering into defense, foreign affairs or intelligence - and anyone else with an interest in how the CIA works.
It is a fast and enjoyable read.
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Skimming the Surface by Retired Reader (New Mexico)  4 Stars
October 30, 2008
The essence of this book is to succinctly explain the role of CIA's National Clandestine Service (Directorate of Operations) in formulating and more importantly executing a coherent counter-terrorism strategy. Gary Berntsen is a retired CIA intelligence officer (clandestine service) with an impressive record of field assignments to his credit. He also clearly knows the ways of Washington D.C. in that this book is designed for those suffering from attention deficit disorder. While he raises several interesting point in the book, he also reveals an astonishing narrowness of view and tendency to reduce everything to its simplest terms.
In his introductory `background' chapter Berntsen makes the dubious claim that the collection of intelligence from human sources (HUMINT) is the "primary mission of CIA." Apparently he is unaware that CIA was originally founded to produce all source finished intelligence and that the National Intelligence Council (NIC), until recently under CIA, was the final word in the U.S. Intelligence System. Nothing reveals the sorry state of CIA's Directorate of Intelligence better than this claim. In the same manner Berntsen is apparently oblivious to the availability and uses of intelligence collected by technical means. To his credit he does recognize that the best intelligence is more often available from open (non-classified) sources than from secret sources. Yet he neither expands nor follows up this observation.
Berntsen more or less follows this pattern through out this book. For example he provides a brief discussion of the traditional Islamic Banking System called Hawalla, but is apparently unaware that the system is based on a recognized credit not cash and that money does not move across international borders. The system is widely trusted and is widely used by Muslim expatriates in the West and Saudi Arabia to send money home. For this reason Hawalla credit transfers providing money to terrorists are easily lost in a world wide mass of transactions. Yet it is possible to track Hawalla transactions and it has been done without "intensive manpower" allocations.
Berntsen deserves a good deal of respect and credit for his obvious service to the U. S. and his dedication to the cause of clandestine intelligence operations and its hand maiden covert operations. Yet this book is a terminally superficial and ill-considered work by someone who not only should know better, but could have produced a first rate `practical guide' to a counter-terrorism strategy.
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