Illuminating.
Ahmed Rashid
New York Review of Books
Al-Suri has been read at West Point, profiled by Lawrence Wright in the New Yorker, heralded by Newsweek as the 'Francis Fukuyama of al Qaida' and by CNN as 'the most dangerous terrorist you've never heard of'... One of the striking things we learn from Lia's book is how ... Read moreoften Al Qaida's adversaries threw it a lifeline.
London Review of Books
This biography by Brynjar Lia, a Norwegian expert on the subject, is a welcome addition to books on Islamist extremism. … Ginger-haired and married to a Spaniard, Mr al-Suri went by several aliases, including El Español and El Rubio (the blond one). He was little known outside Islamist circles until the Madrid train bombings in March 2004 when Spanish investigators named him as a possible ideological influence, if not the actual mastermind.
The Economist
An authoritative volume on a man who is possibly the most important jihadi theoretician alive.
Steven Brooke
The American Interest
A genuinely important and path-breaking book.
Peter Hart
Globe & Mail
Architect of the Global Jihad is a compelling and meticulously researched biography of one of the most influential strategists and thinkers in Islamist circles. Abu Mus'ab al-Suri may not be a household name in the West, but his importance as a theorist, organizer and ideologue is difficult to overstate. For those seeking to understand Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, author Brynjar Lia's work is critical reading and highly illuminating.
Craig Whitlock, Berlin Bureau Chief
The Washington Post
A groundbreaking analysis of the militant trajectory of one of the most important
albeit little known
jihadist ideologues of the post 9/11 era. It provides essential reading for any one eager to penetrate in-depth the intellectual environment and logics of radical islamist terrorist doctrine, thanks to Lia's remarkable mastery of Arabic language and Islamic culture.
Gilles Kepel, Professor and Chair, Middle East Studies Brynjar Lia's masterfully researched work remains the only known contribution to the terrorism studies field that parses the history and thought of al-Suri. Far beyond its utility as an historical analysis, Lia's work is extraordinarily timely as he extracts the finer points of al-Suri's now widely circulated theories that may have informed the conduct of the London and Madrid attacks.
Jeffrey Cozzens, Intelligence and Terrorism Analysis Group Brynjar Lia's book is an innovative, well-sourced, and thorough account of the life and work of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri. Lia’s book digs behind the myths and public speculation around al-Suri and gives a comprehensive picture of the man and his works. It is crucial to an understanding of international jihadi ideology and needs to be widely studied.
Jeevan Deol A fascinating study
Malise Ruthven
New York Review of Books
A brilliant, well-researched work.
Lester W. Grau
The Journal of Military History
Lia's book should be essential reading.
Marisa Urgo
Political Studies Review
This valuable biography of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri . . . contributes to the understanding of jihadi strategic thought, an area where incisive and thorough scholarship has been lacking.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Middle East Quarterly
Brynjar Lia has written an impressively authoritative biography of one of contemporary jihad's most important and influential thinkers. In Architect of Global Jihad, Lia charts the rise and consequences of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri’s prominence in al-Qaeda and how his worldview continues to shape and define the movement’s strategy and tactics. This work is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand al-Qaeda’s violent struggle and its likely future trajectory.
Bruce Hoffman, professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and senior fellow, Combating Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy Show Less