Acknowledgments  xi

Prologue: A Missile in the Living Room  1

Introduction: Have You Seen This Man?  13

Part I. Lakhani  

1. Birth of a Salesman  33

2. The Late Career of the Sting Operation  58

3. The Art of Surveillance  66

4. The Terror and the Pity  92

Part II. Siraj  

5. I Have Delivered the Pizza  111

6. A Collaborator in Kashmir  141

7. A Night in an Army Camp  151

8. Tourist-Theorist-Terrorist  162

Epilogue: We Are the World  179

Notes  186

Bibliography  199

Index  202

“Kumar's study (think Jane Mayer's The Dark Side meets Coco Fusco's protest art) reveals how deeply the figure of the ‘terrorist’ has seeped into our imaginations by brilliantly synthesizing straight reportage—on the Mumbai blasts and the trials of two putative terrorists in New York—and contemporary conceptual art's responses to “’he war on terror.’“—Parul Sehgal, Publishers Weekly, “Staff Picks”

“A disturbing look, in a somewhat meandering but consistently engaging tour, at part of the 'war on terror', in the US and abroad, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of his Arm a Tiny Bomb is a useful reminder of how wrong things have gone (and continue to go wrong) and if only in making readers aware of some of these issues already serves a useful purpose.”—M.A.Orthofer, The Complete Review

“More than a piece of reportage, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb illuminates the dangers to civil liberties from extraordinary governmental powers and torture’s questionable effectiveness. . . . Whatever one’s views on 9/11 and its accompanying legal changes, the use of torture, or the war on terror, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb is a worthwhile read. Kumar’s perspective is one not often seen in American writings on similar subjects. That alone would recommend the book; the high quality of the writing should secure its place on any library shelf.”—J. G. Stinson, ForeWord

“After you read [A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb], you will never look at the global war on terror in the same way again. You will, also, finally know how to look at the war on terror, especially as it is fought here. . . . [S]tunningly researched, brilliantly thoughtful, boldly imagined and courageously executed. I can't think of a more urgent, important and necessary book for us this year. You should rush to read it.”—Pradeep Sebastian, The Hindu (review of the Indian edition)

“Full of sublime narratives and subtle descriptions, it is a thoroughly fantastic book. The best thing about Kumar's writing is that seldom does he allow his personal prejudices to creep into the text. He acts more like a cameraman of a documentary film showing you a plethora of images. He also knows what to focus on, and when to zoom in or out. Then he leaves you free to reach your own conclusions. Like his earlier book Husband of a Fanatic, it is a must buy. And, of course, a must read too.”—Abdullah Khan, Star Weekend (review of the Indian edition)

“[A]n essential book for our times.”—Nilanjana S. Roy, Business Standard

“Foreigner is part contemporary history, part investigative journalism, part political treatise, part memoir – and an absolute must-read. . . . Kumar is an excellent storyteller. He’s also immensely convincing. Drawing on his vast, voracious knowledge of literature, film, television, and breaking headlines, Kumar makes a case that post-9/11 fear has created a not-so-brave new world of bullies and fools.”—Terry Hong, Christian Science Monitor

“By focusing on the banality of the state’s cases against the old, the infirm, the misfits, the ill-suited, Kumar reminds us that the war raging far from our doorsteps is also all around us. . . . [A] clear challenge to the ossified discourse on terrorism in the United States.” —Manan Ahmed, The National

“Kumar’s searching and humane account of the global consequences of the U.S. ‘war on terror’ gets behind the rhetoric and state public relations campaigns in a brisk but thoughtful narrative. . . . An arresting and heartrending work of public protest and valuable social analysis, this work contributes forcefully to a subtle, human-scaled accounting of 21st-century geopolitics.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“[A] perceptive and soulful . . . meditation on the global war on terror and its cultural and human repercussions. . . . A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb carries in the crook of its own arm Mr. Kumar’s plaintive appeal. If we’re to bridge the perilous divide that separates us from those poor and unnamed people who resent us, we first need to see them, to look into their eyes. We need, Mr. Kumar writes, 'to acknowledge that they exist.' This angry and artful book is a first step."—Dwight Garner, New York Times

“Kumar's study (think Jane Mayer's The Dark Side meets Coco Fusco's protest art) reveals how deeply the figure of the ‘terrorist’ has seeped into our imaginations by brilliantly synthesizing straight reportage—on the Mumbai blasts and the trials of two putative terrorists in New York—and contemporary conceptual art's responses to “’he war on terror.’“—Parul Sehgal, Publishers Weekly, “Staff Picks”

“A disturbing look, in a somewhat meandering but consistently engaging tour, at part of the 'war on terror', in the US and abroad, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of his Arm a Tiny Bomb is a useful reminder of how wrong things have gone (and continue to go wrong) and if only in making readers aware of some of these issues already serves a useful purpose.”—M.A.Orthofer, The Complete Review

“More than a piece of reportage, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb illuminates the dangers to civil liberties from extraordinary governmental powers and torture’s questionable effectiveness. . . . Whatever one’s views on 9/11 and its accompanying legal changes, the use of torture, or the war on terror, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb is a worthwhile read. Kumar’s perspective is one not often seen in American writings on similar subjects. That alone would recommend the book; the high quality of the writing should secure its place on any library shelf.”—J. G. Stinson, ForeWord

“After you read [A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb], you will never look at the global war on terror in the same way again. You will, also, finally know how to look at the war on terror, especially as it is fought here. . . . [S]tunningly researched, brilliantly thoughtful, boldly imagined and courageously executed. I can't think of a more urgent, important and necessary book for us this year. You should rush to read it.”—Pradeep Sebastian, The Hindu (review of the Indian edition)

“Full of sublime narratives and subtle descriptions, it is a thoroughly fantastic book. The best thing about Kumar's writing is that seldom does he allow his personal prejudices to creep into the text. He acts more like a cameraman of a documentary film showing you a plethora of images. He also knows what to focus on, and when to zoom in or out. Then he leaves you free to reach your own conclusions. Like his earlier book Husband of a Fanatic, it is a must buy. And, of course, a must read too.”—Abdullah Khan, Star Weekend (review of the Indian edition)

“[A]n essential book for our times.”—Nilanjana S. Roy, Business Standard

“Foreigner is part contemporary history, part investigative journalism, part political treatise, part memoir – and an absolute must-read. . . . Kumar is an excellent storyteller. He’s also immensely convincing. Drawing on his vast, voracious knowledge of literature, film, television, and breaking headlines, Kumar makes a case that post-9/11 fear has created a not-so-brave new world of bullies and fools.”—Terry Hong, Christian Science Monitor

“By focusing on the banality of the state’s cases against the old, the infirm, the misfits, the ill-suited, Kumar reminds us that the war raging far from our doorsteps is also all around us. . . . [A] clear challenge to the ossified discourse on terrorism in the United States.” —Manan Ahmed, The National

“Kumar’s searching and humane account of the global consequences of the U.S. ‘war on terror’ gets behind the rhetoric and state public relations campaigns in a brisk but thoughtful narrative. . . . An arresting and heartrending work of public protest and valuable social analysis, this work contributes forcefully to a subtle, human-scaled accounting of 21st-century geopolitics.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“[A] perceptive and soulful . . . meditation on the global war on terror and its cultural and human repercussions. . . . A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb carries in the crook of its own arm Mr. Kumar’s plaintive appeal. If we’re to bridge the perilous divide that separates us from those poor and unnamed people who resent us, we first need to see them, to look into their eyes. We need, Mr. Kumar writes, 'to acknowledge that they exist.' This angry and artful book is a first step."—Dwight Garner, New York Times

“Amitava Kumar has written a unique book. It is ultimately a book about neoliberalism, about the public interest defined as militarism rather than as well-being. It is a book about the imagination reduced to suspicion and fear rather than hope and liberty. It is a book that swells from India to Indiana, depicting the global ecology of antiterrorism.”—Vijay Prashad, author of The Darker Nations. A People's History of the Third World

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