Peter Bergen

Does Osama bin Laden matter anymore? You could be forgiven for thinking he doesn't. In recent months, an impressive cast of terrorism experts and counterterrorism officials around the world has coalesced around the notion that al-Qaeda's leader is no longer an active threat to the West. They point out that he has not been able to strike on U.S. soil since 9/11 or in Europe since the London bombings three summers ago. In Iraq, his most successful franchise operation is… more

...Any Pakistani government must reckon with the fact that its countrymen prefer negotiation over military action against al Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist militants. In a recent study by Terror Free Tomorrow and the New America Foundation, more than half of Pakistanis said the United States was to blame for violence inside the country today, as compared to only 8 percent blaming al Qaeda. This is a perception gap of enormous proportions, and a similarly epic public-diplomacy failure... more

...al-Suri is as famous to terrorists as he is unknown to the general American public. Lawrence Wright of The New Yorker penned the only substantive American profile of him in 2006, but apparently only had access to portions of "The Call." al-Suri "is highly intelligent, well read, focused, intense, no sense of humor, [and] speaks Arabic and Spanish and French, very little English" said Peter Bergen, a senior fellow at The New America Foundation and author of two influential books… more

...ROBERTS: This morning in Pakistan government forces are pounding Taliban targets for a third day in a row. The offensive comes after militants have been threatening the city of Peshawar. Peter Bergen is CNN's terrorism analyst. He joins us now from our bureau in Washington. Peter, just how great is the threat to the city of Peshawar and why is it so important strategically? PETER BERGEN, CNN NATL. SECURITY ANALYST: Well, John, as you know, this is the city through which a lot… more

In May, two articles by western experts on al Qaeda suggested that Bin Laden's terrorist organisation might be in sharp decline. Both were meticulously researched and received wide attention. Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank, research fellows at New York University, and Lawrence Wright of the New Yorker are all authoritative observers of Islamic militancy. The article by the former pair, in the New Republic, focused on disillusion among ex-militants with the strategy adopted over the last ten years by the… more

...Yet longtime observers of the delicate partnership say events in 2008—like the June air strike and Pakistan's February elections—have increased tensions and strained the alliance. "One could say it's on a downward trajectory," says Shuja Nawaz, a Pakistani journalist and author of Crossed Swords, a history of the Pakistani military. "However, it's not irreconcilable differences in my view. This is something that can be resolved … bearing in mind the talks should come directly from the U.S. to Pakistan—not publicly,… more

Saudi authorities announced a massive anti-terrorism sweep Wednesday that netted more than 500 members of a purported al Qaeda-linked terrorist cell said to be planning attacks on Saudi targets, including major oil installations...

...The announcement is a reminder that al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia remains a real threat, despite the successes that Saudi authorities have had since their campaign against the group began in 2003, CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen said... LINK

WOLF BLITZER: ...And also joining us here in Washington, our CNN terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen. His most recent book is entitled "The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaida's Leader."...

Are the United States and its allies losing ground in the war on terror right now?

PETER BERGEN: Well, it depends where you are. I mean, as Ahmed has pointed out, certainly Al Qaida on the Afghan/Pakistan border has resurged, as the national intelligence estimate said… more

Washington, DC - Released today at the New America Foundation, results from the latest Terror Free Tomorrow/New America Foundation poll, the third such poll in nine months, shows a dramatic repudiation of Pakistani public support for American policies in the region, and a gain in support for Al Qaeda. Featured speakers at today's New America Foundation event were Ken Ballen, president of the polling organization, Terror Free Tomorrow, Terrorism expert and Schwartz Senior Fellow Peter Bergen, and leading Pakistan analyst, and New America Fellow, Nicholas Schmidle. Leading… more

On June 20th the New America Foundation’s American Strategy Program hosted the release of Terror Free Tomorrow’s groundbreaking new surveys of Pakistani public opinion, presented by Terror Free Tomorrow’s President Ken Ballen. New America scholars Peter Bergen and Nicholas Schmidle then provided expert analysis of the data and the detailed the implications of the report for future American policy toward Pakistan and the war in Afghanistan. American Strategy Program Deputy Director Patrick Doherty moderated the discussion. Peter… more