8 Quotes & Sayings By Peter L Bergen

Peter L. Bergen is a PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and currently a fellow in National security studies at the Center for International Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of several books, including Holy War Inc., The Osama Bin Laden I Know, and The Longest War. He is also a senior analyst for CNN's investigative unit Read more

In September 2001, he was a producer on CNN’s four-part series on al Qaeda. In December 2002, Peter Bergen was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book "Holy War Inc." Bergen has advised presidents and counternarcotics officials on counterterrorism issues since 9/11. He consults with the US Department of State on counter-terrorism issues.

He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) where he teaches courses on terrorism, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.

1
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers who carried out the marathon bombing, was a non-practicing Muslim who only became an Islamist militant once his dreams of becoming an Olympic boxer faded. At the time of the attack, he was unemployed. Peter L. Bergen
2
Syria is attracting a lot more Westerners than the Iraq War ever did because it's the perfect Sunni jihad. Peter L. Bergen
3
The Japanese scored an important victory at Pearl Harbor, but the attack pulled the United States into World War II, and four years later, Japan was in ruins, utterly defeated. Peter L. Bergen
4
We climbed the stairs to the third floor, where Osama bin Laden died early in the morning of May 2, 2011. Peter L. Bergen
5
The dirty little secret of the intelligence world is that much of what you really need to know isn't exactly a secret anyway. Peter L. Bergen
6
If the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies were private companies and were chronically unable to accomplish one of their key missions, their shareholders would have long ago revolted, fired their management, and their stock would be trading at values near zero. Peter L. Bergen
7
Every lethal terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11 has been carried out by an American citizen or a legal permanent resident, not by recent immigrants or by refugees. So tamping down immigration won't fix the real issue, which is 'homegrown' terrorism. Peter L. Bergen