Terrorism
Recommended
Reading
Everybody knows about the CIA--the cloak-and-dagger branch of the U.S. government.
Many fewer are familiar with the National Security Agency, even though it
has been more important to American espionage in recent years than its better-known
counterpart. The NSA is responsible for much of the intelligence gathering
done via technology such as satellites and the Internet. Its home office
in Maryland "contains what is probably the largest body of secrets ever
created." 
For many, the CIA conjures up a shadowy world of spies, international intrigue,
and secret corridors of power. While this image may be partially accurate,
the primary function of the agency is less romantic: the collection and
analysis of information. To this end, the CIA's Directorate of Science and
Technology is indispensable. As the group responsible for creating the tools
that allow the spymasters to do their jobs, the DS&T has been "a key element
in the history of both the CIA and the entire intelligence community," writes
Jeffrey Richelson, a specialist on American intelligence operations. In
The Wizards of Langley, he traces the directorate from its inception in
1947 to the present, analyzing each aspect of its activities and responsibilities
in exhaustive detail, along with the infighting and political wrangling
that have accompanied its growth. 
This is a super book! It doesn't drone on and on about the composition and
history of Chemical and Biological Weapons - it is indeed a First Responder's
Handbook providing initial assessment, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment,
decontamination and precautions. There is also a section devoted to the
establishment of a decontaminization zone. Very fine work. 
The al-Qaida informal and loose international network in over 50 countries
has been responsible for spectacular terrorist operations such as the 1993
World Trade Center bombing in New York, the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers
in Saudi Arabia, the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa, and is apparently
linked to the attack of the destroyer USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in 2000,
and now to the current attacks.
Most
survival manuals are how-to-do books. What was missing was a collection
of scenarios, how to identify them and what to do day-by-day (or phase-by-phase).
This book attempts to fill this need. This a basic book (Survival 101 if
you like) and is intended to complement your survival library.