War Against Terrorists

"The War Against the Terrorists: How to Win It," written by Gayle Rivers (the pseudonym of a New Zealand counterterrorist leader) is the most eerily prophetic work most of us will ever see. Rivers presents a poignant and modern view of on the nature of terrorism and terrorists and how best to combat it. All of this comes straight from a man who fought his entire life on the front lines of counterterrorist activity. Published in 1986-fifteen years before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001-Rivers discusses the concerns that the world faces today: *Plastic explosives, undetectable by many metal detectors *The safety procedures of El Al, which Rivers views as the exemplar of airliner security *Networking, the phenomenon of terrorist groups with diverse goals joining forces to carry out mutual goals *Biological terrorism, with an emphasis on botulism and ricin *The venerability of ports and transportation routes as conduits for smuggling radioactive weapons *An entire chapter on "The Special Vulnerability of America, with two pages on "America's greatest and most vulnerable city, New York." In an almost disturbingly prophetic passage, Rivers writes about Manhattan: "a narrow island...cut off the rest of the United States by several bridges and four runnels" with "skyscrapers especially vulnerable to fires started on high floors." *A chapter on "Retaliation," in which Rivers writes about "costly and useless conventional war." A stunning and undeservingly obscure work; necessary for any student of modern terrorism and its origins: Rivers is a true Cassandra. Five stars.

I just finished Rivers book, published in 1986. Robert Ruman's review is right on point. In light of current events, this book should be reprinted. As a frequent flyer, my anxiety has increased. Two weeks ago we went thru one recent minor incident aboard a flight by an obnoxious passenger. In light of this book, I now realize that the initial disturbance that attracts everyone's attention, be it at the airport, aboard a plane, a shopping center, restaurant, etc, is often the distracting event, while the real event is actually beginning to unfold. As you are drawn to watch the event, stop, turn, see who is not and what they are doing. His discussion about the attempted assassination of Pres. Regan is an excellent example.Last night my wife and I partied with a former Clinton bodyguard, Secret Service agent, and I told him what Rivers had to say. He said Rivers was right and they have totally modified their procedures. He also affirmed the distracting event theory.Mr. Rivers provides excellent descriptions of many such terrorist incidents, almost a micro second analysis as it unfolds, and what and where and how it could have been aborted. Query: Why haven't El Al flights been hijacked? Rivers tells you.A great book, and haunting. Pete Wright ( www wrightslaw com)

Is there an adult who hasn't asked: Do we have to spend the rest of our lives being sitting ducks for terrorists both here and when we travel abroad? In this book, one of the world's most experienced counterterrorists shows exactly how we can put a stop to terrorism once and for all.The chapter on skyjacking should be read as a reminder before the reader takes any trip by plane. Mr. Rivers shows why security measures such as metal detectors, X-ray machines, frisking, and sky marshals don't stop terrorists. He gives the reader ten precautions to take at the airport before he or she boards and nine additional lifesaving recommendations to follow if he is ever on a hijacked aircraft. That chapter also shows how the hijacking of TWA's Flight 847 out of Athens, which caused the death of American Robert Stethem and a seventeen-day media event that benefitted the terrorists, could have been stopped cold in its tracks during the first hours. Counterterrorist rapid response teams were already in Europe and ready to go. For the first time in print, the author shows exactly how such a counterterrorist team would do the job.The author reveals Americans are aiding the terrorist killers and who those Americans are, why appeasement of terrorists and retaliation against them doesn't work, and what does work. He details the new weapons of terror already in use that go far beyond machine guns and hand grenades. He tells where atomic devices are now being peddled and which groups in America are eager to get their hands on them. He also shows how the terrorists can cause radioactive explosions by the use of materials already in their hands.Mr. Rivers shows how embassies and business installations can be protected against car bombings, how Canada got tough with its terrorists and found that it worked, and what can be done now to deal with the terrorist training camps within Libya, Syria, and Iran by knowledgeable professionals without endangering innocent civilians or causing confrontations that could lead to war.Mr. Rivers, who has killed terrorist leaders on covert assignments by Allied governments such as Spain and Britain, throughout this book names names, identifies the killer groups, tells who their leaders really are, and how to prevent further terrorist acts by the same and other groups with means that are currently available. If ever there was a book for our time, you are holding it in your hands right now.why America is now the number one terrorist target, how some

One of the most informative books on the subject with first hand accounts of real operations.The author is an expert in CT warefare and comments on possible terrorist leaders,groups and actions,some of which have come to pass since the books publishing.If you want an insiteful look on the subject,this one is highly recommended.