the great war of our time by michael morell

MARTIN: Starting with a big one - the flawed intelligence about Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program that led to the Iraq War. MARTIN: You use this book to give your take on several of the most significant national security issues of the past, really, 15 years or so. It is called 'The Great War Of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism From Al Qa'ida To ISIS.' Michael Morell joins me in our studios here in Washington. Years later, he served twice as the acting head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Morell spent more than 30 years at the CIA, most of it out of the public eye, but right in the middle of crisis after crisis. And if you don't recognize the name, he won't be offended.

He writes of secret, back-channel negotiations he conducted with foreign spymasters and regime leaders in a desperate attempt to secure a peaceful outcome to unrest launched during the 'Arab Spring.' Morell describes how efforts to throw off the shackles of oppression have too often resulted in broken nation states unable or unwilling to join the fight against terrorism.Īlong the way Morell provides intimate portraits of the leadership styles of figures ranging from Presidents Bush and Obama, CIA directors Tenet, Goss, Hayden, Petraeus, Panetta, and Brennan, and a host of others.We're now going to hear from someone who has been involved in every major national security threat this country has faced since 9/11, and there have been many.

Morell illuminates new, growing threats from terrorist groups that, if unaddressed, could leave the country vulnerable to attacks that would dwarf 9/11 in magnitude. From the subway bombings in London to the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Morell always seemed to find himself on the cusp of history.Ī superb intelligence analyst and briefer, Morell now presents THE GREAT WAR OF OUR TIME, where he uses his talents to offer an unblinking and insightful assessment of CIA's counterterrorism successes and failures of the past twenty years and, perhaps most important, shows readers that the threat of terrorism did not die with Bin Ladin in Abbottabad. Morell was by President Bush's side on 9/11/01 when terrorists struck America and in the White House Situation Room advising President Obama on 5/1/11 when America struck back-killing Usama bin Ladin. Like See No Evil and At the Center of the Storm, this is a vivid and gripping account of the Central Intelligence Agency, a life of secrets, and a war in the shadows.Ĭalled the 'Bob Gates of his generation' by Politico, Michael Morell was a top CIA officer who played a critical role in the most important counterterrorism events of the past two decades.

The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism–From al Qa'ida by Michael Morell, Bill Harlow

The great war of our time by michael morell