The Longest War

On Friday, March 11, 2011, Foreign Policy Magazine and the New America Foundation hosted a discussion on Peter Bergen’s newest book, The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and Al Qaeda. The text has received much praise since its release and the discussion and following question and answer session addressed both the book’s aims and key themes. Mr. Bergen offered his perspective on the war in Afghanistan which, although ten years old, was both winnable and essential, according to the author.  Other comments were reserved for the Bush administration’s changing version of the events at Tora Bora in 2001 and the presidency of Hamid Karzai.

Mr. Bergen’s strongest critiques were leveled against al Qaeda and its strategic failures. Osama bin Laden assumed, according to Mr. Bergen, that the United States would withdraw from the Middle East after September 11. Instead, the country launched a global war effort and stripped bin Laden of his best launch pad for jihad—Afghanistan. Perhaps most importantly, the US has shown more resolve than the Soviet Union, a fact that should haunt al Qaeda’s leaders as they and the Taliban suffer from a high turnover rate in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Before the event’s conclusion, Mr. Bergen addressed new developments in the Middle East which will most likely factor into future editions of the book. The 2011 “Arab Spring” is remarkable for many reasons, but from al Qaeda’s perspective, the wholly organic, largely secular, and non-violent revolutions totally refute al Qaeda’s formula of jihad and theocracy.

Mr. Bergen is the National Security Studies Director at the New America Foundation, and his previous texts include Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I know: An Oral History of al Qaeda’s Leader. Susan Glasser, Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy Magazine, moderated the discussion.

Participants

Featured Speaker
Peter Bergen
Director, National Security Studies Program
Author, The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al Qaeda

Moderator
Susan Glasser
Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy Magazine