The Osama Bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al-Qaeda's Leader |
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Peter Bergen
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Pages: 480 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0743278917
Pub: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Pub date: 2006-01-09
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 147763
Reader Reviews:
Know your enemy.... (1/1 people found this helpful)
This is the best kind of history. First hand. This is essentially a biography together by one of the very few really well-informed and connected US journalists. raphy putFramed as a chronological series of interviews and extended quotations from friends, family and associates of 'the worlds most wanted man' this book is to say the least an eye-opener. It gives possibly the most complete view, having as it does all the man's pronouncements in translation, of Bin Ladens strategy and aims. And a surprising one it is.
This is not an unformed fanatic sitting in a mountain fastness mumbling lunacies. He is a well-educated, well-informed leader with a keen appreciation for the way Westerners think. He is, however, our enemy, and surely it is essential for us to begin to understand how he thinks and what his aims are. For as sure as shooting he understands us.
In some ways the conclusions to be drawn from this important book are similar to those drawn out by Michael Sheuer in his excellent'Imperial Hubris'. Sheuer, who was for many years the CIA expert on Bin Laden, considers Qaeda essentially to have primarily political not religious aims derived from two grievances. First Palestine. Second the corruption of the Ssaudi government. This view is implicitly strongly supported by the Bin Laden quoted in this book.
Two quotations spring out from 'The Bin Laden I know':
'I say to you that security is an important pillar of human life, and that free people do not compromise their security. Contrary to what Bush says and claims, that we hate your freedom. Why did we not attack Sweden?'
And for those who see Iraq as 'a front on the 'War on Terror' Bin Laden calls it 'A Golden and Unique opportunity'.
If the West does not read what this man says, we can be very sure the Islamic world does. We need to know what our enemy is saying, and this book goes some way to telling us that.
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Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Historical -> Countries & Regions -> Middle East
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Political -> Countries & Regions -> Middle East
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Political -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Religious -> Islam
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> War & Espionage -> Terrorism & Freedom Fighters
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> General AAS
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Books -> Subjects -> History -> Countries & Regions -> Asia -> Central Asia -> Afghanistan
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Countries & Regions -> Asia -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Religious History -> Islam
Books -> Subjects -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> Government & Politics -> General AAS
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