Book Reviewed: Objective Troy, a terrorist, a president, and the rise of the drone, by Scot Shane

An investigative report on Obama’s handling of Islamic terrorist Anwar Al-Awlaki (four stars)

This book describes the rise and fall of one of most wanted terrorist Anwar Al-Awlaki, and how his killing became so controversial, and bitter exchange of words between the supporters of Obama and the republicans. Why did the handling of Awlaki, a neutralized American citizen, a Muslim who vowed to destroy America is so extra-judicial? The fact that he was an American citizen makes all the difference. No criminal charges were filed against him, and he was not given due process where he would have had an opportunity to defend himself in a court of law. But for many Americans it did not matter, they welcomed his demise since he was sending terrorists to attack America. In the media it sparked a debate about this unsettling precedent where law, the constitution and political process were in a collision course.

Barack Obama’s campaign during his bid to the White House criticized the excesses of George W. Bush’s counterterrorism efforts. He was especially critical of Bush’s targeted killing of Muslim terrorists planning to attack America. At the end, Obama embraces the same ideology! Awlaki’s active life spanned four presidencies and it raised the dangers of both terrorism on U.S. soil and American response to it. In the process it defined the nature of conflict between America and the Islamic organizations like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Taliban and others that support terrorism.