Peter Bergen: All Publications, Events and Press

Reassessing the Evolving al Qaeda Threat to the Homeland

American Strategy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:43:00 -0500

Chairwoman Harman, committee members, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My testimony aims to address the evolving threat from al Qaeda to the homeland, to include the threat from al Qaeda itself, groups affiliated or allied to al Qaeda, and those "homegrown" militants influenced by al Qaeda ideas who have no connections to any formal jihadist group. This testimony does not aim to be exhaustive but to cover the most serious cases of recent years and to provide some overall threat assessment.

An Anxious Wait in Afghanistan | Asia Times Online

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:01:00 -0500

Noted terrorism analyst Peter Bergen stated at a New York-based think-tank conference dealing with counter-insurgency strategy in 2008 that it was very ...

This Isn't What We Hoped For | Indianapolis Star

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:57:00 -0500

But Mayer and the nonprofit New America Foundation report that more US drone strikes were launched in Pakistan during the first nine months of the Obama ...

War Unchecked | Washington Post

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:54:00 -0500

... strikes in Pakistan this year and killed, besides Mr. Mehsud, somewhere between 200 and 300 people, according to a study by the New America Foundation. ...

Death Knell Drones for al Qa'eda | National (UAE)

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:08:00 -0500

The most authoritative assessment of the attacks, by the New America Foundation, estimates that about one third of more than 1000 people killed were ...

Of Fruit Flies and Drones | New York Times

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:55:00 -0500

According to a just-completed study by the New America Foundation, quoted in Mayer's piece, Obama has authorized as many drone strikes in Pakistan in nine ...

Outside the Law

Kirsten Gilbert — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
11/09/2009 - 4:00pm

On November 9, New America screened a new documentary film directed by filmmaker Polly Nash and journalist Andy Worthington called "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo," which follows the stories of three current or former detainees from Guantanamo Bay and tells the story of Guantanamo, including segments on extraordinary renditions and secret prisons. With just over two months until President Obama's deadline for the closure of Guantánamo, and with the administration set to

Pakistan: Now or Never? | Reuters

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:29:00 -0500

During his first nine and half months in office, President Barack Obama has authorised as many CIA aerial attacks in Pakistan as George W. Bush did in his final three years, according to a study done by the New America Foundation. So far this year, the administration has sanctioned at least 41 CIA missile strikes inside Pakistan -- a rate of approximately one bombing a week. ... Original Article

One Year of The One | The Economist

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:24:00 -0500

... Yet roughly once a week since that day, he has ordered the assassination of suspected terrorists. These assassinations, carried out with Hellfire missiles fired from hovering drones, are often messy. According to the New America Foundation, a think-tank, it took 15 attempts to kill Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban leader in Pakistan who was finally blown to scraps in August. Hundreds of people, some of them

Former US official: Resignation Over Afghan War is Drawing Support | CNN

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:35:00 -0400

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen disagreed with Hoh's assessment of Afghanistan. "It's not that our presence there is causing the problem," he said. ...

The Vietnam Moment | Financial Times

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:52:00 -0400

“My guess is that he'll announce something north of 20000 troops and hope that is enough,” says Peter Bergen, an expert on al-Qaeda, who is urging a ...

Hillary Clinton Wraps Up Tough Mission in Pakistan | The Guardian (London)

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:37:00 -0400

But one recent study by the New America Foundation estimated that US drones have killed between 750 around 1000 people in Pakistan since 2006, ...

Al-Qaida Connection: Foreign Passports Linked to Attacks on West Recovered | The Guardian (London)

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:39:00 -0400

Militancy expert Peter Bergen of the New American Foundation said the fact that the passports were found in Taliban compounds showed how the two ...

Pakistan Drone War Takes a Toll on Militants -- and Civilians

Erin Drankoski — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:07:00 -0400

The Obama administration has dramatically ratcheted up the American drone warfare program in Pakistan. Since President Obama took office, U.S. drone strikes have killed about a half-dozen militant leaders along with hundreds of other people, a quarter of whom were civilians.

As a result of the unprecedented 42 strikes by drone aircraft into Pakistan authorized by the Obama administration, aimed at Taliban and al Qaeda networks based there, about a half-dozen leaders of militant organizations have been killed.

Ahmed Wali Karzai and the CIA: America's Conundrum in Afghanistan | Christian Science Monitor

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:41:00 -0400

It goes on to quote analyst Peter Bergen, testifying to Congress: "We need not fewer warlords, but more warlords" to prosecute a successful counterterrorism ...

POSTPONED-The Rise of the Muslim Middle Class

Kirsten Gilbert — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/27/2009 - 12:30pm

This event has been postponed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Remote-Control Drone Attacks Risk Losing 'Hearts and Minds' of Civilians in Pakistan| FOXNews

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:50:00 -0400

A new study from the New America Foundation found that with 41 drone strikes under his watch in Pakistan, President Obama has "dramatically increased" the ...

U.S. Is Losing Afghan War on Two Fronts

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:27:00 -0400

We are losing in Afghanistan, on two fronts. The most important center of gravity of the conflict -- as the Taliban well recognizes -- is the American public. And now, most Americans are opposed to the war.

For years, Afghanistan was "the forgotten war," and when Americans started paying attention again -- roughly around the time of President Obama's inauguration -- what they saw was not a pretty sight: a corrupt Afghan government, a world-class drug trade, a resurgent Taliban and steadily rising U.S. casualties.

The Imaginary Republic of Extremistan | The News (Pakistan Daily)

Erin Drankoski — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:11:00 -0400

Of the different estimates, the latest have been made by Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann at the New America Foundation. They estimate the total number of civilian deaths from drone attacks is anywhere between 252 to 316 -- a much lower figure than the more widely cited estimate of civilian deaths made by David Kilcullen and Andrew Exum in The New York Times, back in May this year (700). ... Original Article

Al- Qaeda and Its Allies: The Endgame

Kirsten Gilbert — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:45:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/21/2009 - 8:15am

This conference examined the civilian dimensions of counterterrorism, and took place on October 21, 2009, at the Mayflower Hotel. A full program agenda is below, as are video recordings from the webcasts of each discussion.

Higher resolution video and an MP3 audio recording will be added here as they become available.