Books : The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

Rating: - Understanding Our Enemy
The best book I have ever read on Al-Qaeda and the terrorist threat. We know they hate us, and this book helps explain why. If you ever questioned the government "spin" that they hate us because of our "freedom", take the time to know our enemy and what they stand for.

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Rating: - Excellent Reporting
Wright demonstrates that western technology causes immense fear in the mid-east. Yet, ironically, the very well-spring of terrorism has depended on technology. Al Qaeda --- made up initially of doctors, businessmen, engineers, financiers --- seems to be a reaction not only to its own foundation, but to the imposition of change. Terrorism, failing to distinguish between the killing of innocents and peaceful differences of opinion, finds its strength in reaction. As such, Wright suggests a solution: the slower merger of both western and mid-eastern values. Islam does not inherently hate the west any more than the west inherently hates the mid-east. However, the polarization of values leads to competition and fear. Western values spring from the same source as Muslim values, so it is apparent, as Wright points out, that an eventual accord will occur --- even with those who are now prone to support Al Qaeda. However, military action is a trap set by Al Qaeda, and allows it to draw new recruits. The best solution, Wright suggests, is a greater sensitivity to the fear of change --- by both mid-east and western populations.

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Rating: - The Looming Tower
I am not a political scientist or a historian. I thought I would have trouble following the drift of this book, but I didn't -- it read like a novel but it was so fascinating and it helped to clarify things I did not understand about the entire al Qaeda and 9/11 incident. I heartily recommend it.

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Rating: - An Excellent Overview of the History of al-Qaida
Let me begin by saying that this is a topic that I am already quite familiar with. Despite this, I was impressed by the depth of this short book.

It provides a brief but effective summary of Seyyid Qutb's ideas and the other ideas that would later influence Usama bin Laden and his allies. While there is a great deal of additional material that is relevant and could certainly have been discussed, this gets the basics down and allows more space for the meat of the book.

The author's account of al-Qaida's foundation and history is simply amazing. As I have mentioned, I have read a great deal on this topic, and nowhere else have I found such a solid history of this organization.

Another strong point is that the book discusses the efforts of the American intelligence and law enforcement communities to investigate the al-Qaida. The comparison between al-Qaida's plotting and American attempts to stop it is both fascinating and frightening.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the book is the author's writing style. He intersperses the raw history with interesting and humorous anecdotes, and his writing about individual personalities is as strong as that of a great novelist. All of this makes the book very readable.

In short, this is an excellent introduction to al-Qaida. Of course, one seeking to understand the phenomena of Islamism (of which al-Qaida represents only a small part), should read other books as well, but this is a great place to start.

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Rating: - A Real Life Spy Novel
This book gives a reader the inside view to events before 9/11. The book will show the untold story of the formation of Al Qaeda. It also shows how lone voices in the US bureaucracy tried to sound the warning horns about Bin Laden.

Many Americans have a hard time understanding the terrorists. Americans nowadays have such a hard time understanding why people aren't motivated by material goods, fast cars, and tons of consumer goods. This book explains that motivation. That motivation is one of the terrorist's core strengths. The book also shows how the group moved from an idea to a field force which is taking on the largest military force in the world. The book also shows how some of the earliest followers of the group came from Arab Americans who joined to fight the Russians.

This book is excellent. It truly has something for everyone, no matter what your point of view on the war or your occupation. Any reader should beware. The book is a real page turner. If they start reading they will have a hard time putting it down. This book is told in such a way it brings the reader to the inside part of the story. Inside as what was going on behind closed doors of the Federal Government and what was going on in the back alleys of the Middle East between members of Bin Laden's group.

The other half of the story is about the US response to the group. This part of the book is a lesson in and of itself. The author tells the story of a few in the FBI and CIA which were at the helm before the attack. Those lone voices had to fight to get people to listen. A person can see through those stories how large bureaucracies act almost as an enemy in and of itself. At times the groups within the government fought each other as much as they were fighting the terrorists.

Through the story of Al Qaeda one can see how the war against terrorism is a complex one,far different than anything the country has faced in nearly a hundred years. This war is almost as much ideologically based as it is anything else. The book shows the initial efforts of the US Government to fight the terrorists. The US Government had a limited law enforcement approach to the fight. By reading the book you can see how such an approach as just killing the terrorists is so limited. The only way to combat the core of the group, the ideas is to crush the idea as well as the people involved. However right now we Americans seem more captured by our PC guilty concise than we are afraid of what the terrorists can do to even think about that.

This books is excellent. It should be required reading for any voting citizen or official in the fight with terrorism.