How to Win a Cosmic War

I saw Mr. Aslan at a book reading in Portland before I read this book. That was a mistake. This book was an excellent review of the fight groups like al-Qaeda are trying to make. It was also excellent in distinguishing the groups, like al-Qaeda, a global organization with no political goals save from war to bring about the end of the world, from groups like Hamas or the Taliban, which are largely nationalist groups with political agendas.

While Mr. Aslan does insert his domestic, political belief system into parts of this book, I found his narrative and overarching theme in this book to be devoid of a left-right pardigm and imminently readable for readers across the political spectrum.

I recommend this book especially for those who believe al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbullah and the Taliban are organizations attempting to accomplish the same goals or for those who believe the United State's goals in Afghanistan should be to erradicate the Taliban.