Books

All the Presidents’ Wars

2026 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the U.S. began to declare its war on terror: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” President Bush proclaimed. The resulting war on terror cost trillions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives, a series of misguided wars, and the damaged perception of American power. And yet despite its blunders, this campaign has kept America safe from large-scale foreign attack.

“Peter Bergen delivers the best overview of America’s post-9/11 wars that I’ve seen. He does thoughtfully and fairly, laying out the facts and then coming to solid, even-handed conclusions. Anyone who wants to understand American foreign policy needs to read this masterful account.
Essential reading—and, as a bonus, well-written.” —Thomas E. Ricks, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Fiasco

“Peter Bergen lifts the proverbial ‘fog of war’ to provide a brilliantly clear and much-needed reckoning with America’s twenty-five-year Global War on Terror. With an even hand and expert skill, he holds U.S. presidents and policymakers accountable for blunders of historic proportion.” ––Jane Mayer, New Yorker staff writer, author of The Dark Side

“With his signature clarity and unparalleled insight, Peter Bergen traces the decisions made in the Oval Office and on the battlefield after 9/11—and the lasting consequences that followed. A timely, incisive, and compelling account of a war whose impact is far from over.” —Clarissa Ward, CNN Chief International Correspondent and author of On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist

“All the Presidents’ Wars is an unflinching look at the tragic mistakes and miscalculations of four U.S. administrations, as well as the quiet successes that thwarted terrorist plans for further attacks on the U.S. homeland. Drawing on decades of reporting, Bergen’s book is packed with revelations and fascinating insights. An important, deeply researched book, and a fascinating read.” —Joby Warrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

The Cost of Chaos: The Trump Administration and The World

“A respected national security analyst at New America and CNN, Bergen provides a deeply informed study, written with clarity and flair. Reflecting fresh research and nearly 100 interviews with some key players, his retelling of Trump’s foreign policy skillfully synthesizes what’s already known and adds gossipy tidbits… it is the best single account of Trump’s foreign policy to date.” —DEREK CHOLLET, WASHINGTON POST

“A fair and comprehensive overview of Trump’s foreign policy.” —MAX BOOT, FOREIGN AFFAIRS

“Timely . . . insightful . . . Through meticulously documented interviews and research, the author amply shows how the Trump administration has stubbornly stuck with this free-wheeling playbook of slash and burn.” —KIRKUS

“As Bergen, the author of several books on national security, shows, Donald Trump’s relationship to the American military is fraught because he has no understanding of the martial virtues and seems to assume that soldiering is simply a matter of violence, even uncaged brutality.” —NEW YORK TIMES (Editor’s Choice)

The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden

Named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of the Year by LOS ANGELES TIMES and KIRKUS REVIEWS
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, Editor’s Choice
AMAZON, Editors’ Picks: Best History

“Meticulously documented…fluidly written…replete with riveting detail… It is a page-turner that weaves back and forth between the man and the terrorist, providing poignant glimpses of key figures and carefully chronicling all the missed opportunities, ignored warnings and strategic blunders of the United States.”
—New York Times, Louise Richardson, vice chancellor of Oxford University.

“The 20th anniversary of 9/11 is a good occasion for a detailed political biography of the architect of these attacks…The portrait he draws is intimate and detailed….”
—Washington Post, Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern studies, Princeton University

“Fine, rigorous and riveting account of the life of the founder of al-Qaida”
—The Guardian, Jason Burke

“A compelling, nuanced portrait of America’s erstwhile public enemy No. 1….Throughout, Bergen turns up revealing details and sharp arguments against received wisdom….Essential for anyone concerned with geopolitics, national security, and the containment of further terrorist actions.”
—KIRKUS, starred review

United States Of Jihad

Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists

Editors’ Choice, New York Times
The Washington Post: One of the best non-fiction books of 2016.

A riveting, panoramic look at “homegrown” Islamist terrorism, from 9/11 to the present

“Mr. Bergen writes with authority and range… His profiles of jihadists… leave the reader with a harrowing appreciation of the banality of evil and an unnerving sense of missteps made by the authorities… Mr. Bergen’s detailed accounts of terror plots (both executed, foiled or failed) make for chilling reading.”
—MICHIKO KAKUTANI, NEW YORK TIMES

“Excellent… Bergen’s book is the best one-volume treatment available on the current state of jihad in America.”
—JANET NAPOLITANO, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Manhunt

The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad

New York Times bestseller
Washington Post: One of the best non-fiction books of 2012
The Guardian: Key book on Islamist extremism
The Sunday Times (UK): Current Affairs Book of the Year, 2012.
The Times (UK): one of the best non-fiction books of 2012
Overseas Press Club Cornelius Ryan Award: Best non-fiction book 2012 on international affairs.

The gripping account of the decade-long hunt for the world’s most wanted man. “Virtually crackles with insider details…Bergen’s Pakistani sources gave him new insight into bin Laden’s home life…The details of the SEAL raid itself…[make] for compelling reading. Bergen puts the raid into a broader intelligence framework and deftly re-creates the heart-thumping tension of that night and the calculations that went into pulling off the daring mission…Bergen’s three other books have become required reading for national security buffs and counterterrorism reporters. But Manhunt is different. It goes to a higher level…Bergen has accomplished a journalistic feat: He manages to make the story of bin Laden’s end sound new. He has put together a real-life thriller that will be a must-read for years to come.”
—DINA TEMPLE-RASTON, WASHINGTON POST

The Longest War

The Enduring Conflict between America and Al-Qaeda

New York Times bestseller
Amazon, Kirkus, and Foreign Policy: One of the best books of 2011.
The Guardian and Newsweek: Key book about terrorism of the past decade.
Washington Institute’s Gold Prize for best book about the Middle East.

“For years, I tried to read every new novel about how 9/11 affected our lives. Some were very thoughtful, but I always came away unsatisfied, feeling that the authors had worked hard but had somehow fallen short. As I read the stunning first section of Peter L. Bergen’s new book on the war between the United States and Al Qaeda, I realized I had been looking in the wrong genre. None of the novels were as effective or moving as “The Longest War,” which is a history of our time. … “The Longest War” is one of the most important accounts on the subject to appear in years. But be warned: You will read it and weep.”
—THOMAS E. RICKS, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Understanding the New Proxy Wars

Battlegrounds and Strategies Reshaping the Greater Middle East

Proxy warfare will shape the conflicts of the twenty-first century for the foreseeable future. Yet the popular understanding of proxy wars remains largely shaped by the experience of the Cold War. In reality, in the Greater Middle East and its periphery today, the growing power of regional states and non-state actors, combined with the proliferation of new technology, has reshaped proxy conflicts, in an increasingly multipolar and interconnected environment.

Drone Wars

Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy

Drone Wars offers many new insights and approaches that are much needed in the drone debate. The book’s essay structure makes it particularly suited for teaching, also because there is quite some disagreement between the authors on several questions, such as whether drones are revolutionary, whether the US strikes are legal, or what the future of drone operations will look like. Ulrike Esther Franke in Parameters

The Osama bin Laden I Know

An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader

The Washington Post: One the best non-fiction books of 2006.

“Highly illuminating. Peter Bergen, an experienced reporter as well as an academic, stands out among terrorism ‘experts’ for his breadth of experience and clear-headedness. Bergen has done a fine job of researching and compiling a very wide range of oral testimony. What emerges is a fascinating sequence of oblique-angled perspectives, casting light on the underlying motives of bin Laden and his companions and revealing some of his less-remarked but significant adventures.” — Max Rodenbeck, The New York Review of Books

Holy War, Inc.

Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden

New York Times bestseller
The Washington Post: One the best non-fiction books of 2001.

The only book you need to read on Osama bin Laden. –The Washington Post An accessible, comprehensive, nonhysterical examination of who bin Laden is, where he comes from…and what motivates him. – Deidre Donahue, USA Today Unusually astute….Holy War, Inc. shines [with] Bergen’s insight into bin Laden’s mind-set and behavior….Required reading for anyone seeking to understand him. – Bruce Hoffman, The Atlantic Monthly