Military Review English Edition March-April 2015 | Page 143

BOOK REVIEWS

also makes a credible argument against the over-reliance
on unmanned aerial vehicles to strike AQAP.
There are also other areas of the book that catch the
reader’s eye. The rise, initial defeat, and definitive reappearance of al-Qaida in Yemen is one that stands out.
A sequence of Yemeni government efforts to “rehabilitate” militants is another. The latter was a fragmentary and misguided attempt to convince a small number of prisoners that their understanding of Islam had
been distorted and misrepresented by power-hungry
outcasts. Through education and mentorship, the aspiration was to realign beliefs and behavior to a more
moderate and acceptable level. The initiative failed,
with many supposedly rehabilitated prisoners released
from jail immediately re-joining al-Qaida and threatening to kill Americans.
Johnsen also highlights the reality of long periods of
detention behind bars. Many impressionable prisoners
found solace in selected verses from the Koran, recited by imprisoned al-Qaida veterans. These, time and
again, helped them to endure repeated interrogation and
suffering—and helped set their plight in a wider religious
context. Over time, significant numbers of inmates were
influenced to join or continue the jihad because they
had been reminded that a jihad is a lifestyle of devotion
and sacrifice. Detention centers such as Guantánamo
Bay in Cuba, and jails in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen,
have proven to be a seeding ground for the insurgency
and acted as clandestine training hubs. A stint in prison
became a rite of passage. But above all, The Last Refuge
underlines that the insurgents only have to be lucky
once, whereas security forces have to be lucky every time.
This is not easy in Yemen, particularly as the country
has become one of the last safe havens of al-Qaida, full of
extremists and jihadists.
In sum, The Last Refuge is a must read for diplomats, soldiers, or aid workers heading to the Arabian
Peninsula. Although perhaps lacking in a detailed
overview of political developments over the period, and
possibly a piece on wider lessons learned that would
have been helpful to draw all the strands of the narrative
together, this is a fascinating, timely, and well-researched
study. Comprehensive, but readable and engaging, I
recommend this narrative to anyone who wishes to
know more about AQAP and the region. Moreover, we
would all be wise to remember that al-Qaida