Customer Reviews

Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden

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This is the ticket if you want reality. But it shows us how evil the terrorist is, how unconscious! These terrorists come to life in this book in that it shows you how they actually do believe in their cause. I now am convinced Laden thinks he is doing gods will, but how he became that way is beyond me. I cannot go into all the details here but you need to read this to understand how the situation came about, there are many facts here, including CIA and USA policies I would never of guessed that left me aware. I want to also recommend another good book like this but also predicted the WTC events and the Bio war and a few other events that have come to pass as well as more predictions. Karl Mark Maddox's SB 1 or God

If you don't know the difference between al-Qaeda and the Taliban (and before September 11 ‛01, I sure did not) or if you're a little fuzzy about where Yemen is in relation to Afghanistan, this an excellent book. Peter Bergen is CNN's terrorism analyst and an experienced reporter. He uses a wide range of sources including his own experience to describe the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. There's even a map of the Middle East that you can refer to as you read.

But those with some expertise in the world of the mindless jihad masters and the issuance of pretentious fatwas will find this rather limited, I would imagine. We don't really get "Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden," but rather are provided with a narrative distilled from numerous news accounts augmented with Bergen's interviews and travel experiences. Essentially, we stay outside the organization (but so did the CIA). Furthermore, Bergen's "Holy War, Inc." characterization of al-Qaeda as a kind of multinational corporation is exactly the sort of catchy, but superficial and misleading designation that irritates the cognoscenti. Al-Qaeda does not turn a profit, nor does it look to turn a profit. It exists on funds raised from charities, from donations from Muslim fat cat businessmen, from bin Laden's inheritance and from funds siphoned from various commercial enterprises, both legal and illegal, and from what it can beg, borrow and steal. It would perhaps be more accurate to designate al-Qaeda as a Mephistophelian service organization. Perhaps "The Black Crescent" would be an appropriate agnomen.

Nonetheless, to Bergen's credit this is not the usual sort of "rush to judgment" volume churned out by book publishers to take advantage of a major news event. Bergen had the book finished in August and apparently was working on the proofs when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center buildings on September 11. At that point of course the book was reshaped and spun to tie in with that event so that Bergen's interview with bin Laden (aired on CNN May 10, 1997) forms part of a Prologue entitled, "How to Find the World's Most Wanted Man."

The strength of the book is in its readability and in the sense that Bergen gives us of what it is like to be an international journalist today (and for those out in the field, it is dangerous to be sure). Characteristically, Bergen describes his trek to and into Afghanistan including the wearing of blindfolds during the last leg to bin Laden's hideout. This personal experience view continues throughout the book and is one of the book's strengths--although of course Bergen does want to make sure we understand that he is more than a "put on the make up and read the cue cards" sort of journalist.

What Bergen notices, and what he reports to us, tell us as much about Bergen as about the world of the terrorist. He reports on the food and what the taxi drivers say. He notices the terrain, the weapons, the dress of the men he meets, and he gives us a good feel for the conditions he and other journalists encounter. What is missing, at least from my point of view, is a cohesive overall understanding or perspective. Perhaps the events are so new, and the trees of the forest so mesmerizingly vivid that it is impossible as yet to discern the larger picture.

But Bergen does attempt a larger understanding. He compares al-Qaeda to the infamous Assassins, founded as an Ismailian sect in what was then Persia in 1090. Supposedly under the influence of hashish, the Assassins brought death and destruction on Christian Crusaders for upwards of two hundred years. (It remains to be seen how long al-Qaeda lasts.) I found it revealing to learn that the head of the Assassins was referred to as "the old man of the mountain" (according to Webster's Second International), just the sort of personage that bin Laden would idolize and try to emulate.

Bergen also attempts a little political philosophy by critiquing Harvard professor Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" thesis in the Afterward, but not very successfully, I might say, since the tribal and fundamentalist world view of the Taliban and al-Qaeda supporters really is in a monumental collision with Western modernity.

Bottom line: this is a good book, a little superficial and a little thin, but then, so's the news.

Peter Bergen's aptly titled book "Holy War, Inc", draws a stunning portrait of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization. He depicts al-Qaeda as a multi-national terrorist network, with members everywhere from Egypt and the Philippines to Disney World and the suburbs of London. Bergen takes the reader on a fast-paced journey around the world to try to understand the minds of these Islamic militants.
Bergen's first contention is that Osama bin Laden is grossly misunderstood by the West. Bergen begins by dispelling various rumors circulating around bin Laden. For instance, it was falsely speculated that bin Laden received an engineering degree from an American University, teamed up with Iraq to plot the 1998 African embassy bombings, and was receiving funds from the CIA. The first step Bergen, a journalist by profession, takes to give the reader a clear understanding of bin Laden is to lay out the factual aspects of bin Laden's life.
Bergen argues that it was misunderstanding that led to, what he deems as, countless blunders in U.S. foreign policy, especially the actions of the CIA, with regard to the Muslim world in the 1980s. He does not go as far as to claim that the CIA "created" bin Laden and al-Qaeda, however he does argue that the CIA committed a "significant tactical error" in giving the Pakistani Intelligence Service, the ISI, carte blanche authority over the distribution of about $3 billion to the Afghani resistance against the Soviets. The ISI, according to Bergen, mostly supported anti-Western mujahedin, including Pashtun General Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is a known associate of bin Laden.
Bergen does an excellent job of conveying the pervasiveness of al-Qaeda throughout the globe. He identifies many members in the United States, including a Disney World Employee, a California undergrad, a military advisor, Boston cab driver, and "several African-Americans." All the while he links the actions and influence of these people, and others on almost every continent, to acts of violence going back to the 1980s, in places including, but not limited to, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tanzania, New York, Egypt, Afghanistan, Yemen, Kashmir, Kenya, and Sudan. Most poignant, is Bergen's small biography of Ali Mohamed, whom is describes as an al-Qaeda "sleeper" who was able to "penetrate one of the U.S. military's most secretive establishments and plot terrorist attacks on American soil."
"Holy War, Inc." does, however, have its shortcoming. In may places the writing seems thrown together and even sloppy at times. Bergen, in his afterword, apologizes saying that the book had to be revised and rushed to press after September 11th. Bergen also often takes the reader on tangent after tangent into everything from the lives of minor characters to camels copulating in the middle of the road. An additional, but perhaps unavoidable, difficulty is the alphabet soup of Muslim names that gets thrown at the reader. Presumably this book is targeted toward a Western audience and an attempt to mitigate the confusion over which Mohammed did what would have been helpful.
Toward the end of the book Bergen attempts to debunk Professor Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" theory. Bergen rejects Huntington's argument on empirical grounds and maintains that nationalism and power politics are still the best predictors of rivalry in the post-Cold War world. However, his feeble arguments make it grossly obvious that Bergen is a journalist and not a political scholar. He never actually addresses any of Huntington's core arguments, but rather simply lists several loosely interpreted counterexamples.
To finish his book, Bergen recommends several pragmatic steps that the United States needs to take to effectively battle al-Qaeda. First, the United States needs to leave behind its Cold War mentality and rethink everything, especially the employment of military force and the business of intelligence gathering. He argues that our reliance on electronic intelligence is not effective against a man like bin Laden who has stopped using telephones since 1997. Also, the U.S. should not rely as heavily on intelligence from the Pakistani ISI, since many members are sympathetic to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The U.S. should therefore develop more human intelligence sources, specifically recruiting agents from the many rival tribes in Afghanistan, such as the Northern Alliance. Also, the world needs to be ever vigilant with the existing nuclear stockpile to ensure that nuclear material does not find its way into the hands of al-Qaeda. Bergen does not believe the problem would go away if bin Laden were to be killed, however he acknowledges that his organization would "be dealt a severe blow if bin Laden were ushered from the world."
Finally, Bergen argues that the best way to eliminate al-Qaeda is to "shut down permanently the Afghan training camps where the foot soldiers of Holy War, Inc. learn their deadly skills". It is these camps that turn unskilled, undisciplined Arab men into professional terror soldiers. Without the camps the recruits cannot easily learn how to make bombs or organize themselves into cells capable of carrying out elaborate plans.
"Holy War, Inc." is a good book for someone who wants to transcend the pro-Western rhetoric surrounding Osama bin Laden and simply get the straight facts. Peter Bergen's journalist flair allows the reader to take in a heap of information and draw their own conclusions. That is not to say that Bergen does not advocate his own opinions, but he does not allow his personal biases to obscure the facts. An enormous strength of this book is Bergen's in-depth knowledge of his subject matter. He personally travels all over the Muslim world to track down facts and interview key personalities. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning the facts about al-Qaeda , or anyone who would like to get some insight into the inner workings and motivations of Osama bin Laden.

Holy War, Inc. is a first rate primer on Osama bin Laden and his al- Qaeda network that every responsible American should read after the attacks of 9-11-01. Author Peter L. Bergen, a CNN correspondent, does yeoman's work in detailing the structure of bin Laden's organization, its roots, its financing, its reach and its goals. With a gripping prologue that recounts the secrecy and precautions surrounding the author's 1997 televised interview with bin Laden, the reader is drawn straight into the web of today's terrorist. It is compelling reading. In the ensuing chapters, Bergen sets out to make the case that bin Laden is the CEO of Holy War, Inc.

To most of us the origin of the ideology and historical details that culminated in the September attacks is confusing and complex. In this very readable text that provides a look, albeit cursory, inside the politics and cultures of Pakistan and Afghanistan, we see how the framework of a highly organized and sophisticated organization that employs and trains thousands in terrorism began. Bergen informs his readers that " the men who lead these movements are generally well educated and utilize the latest in technology in their various jihads." Many Americans will learn for the first time while reading this book of the constantly updated web sites where the members of these organizations communicate, the faxes that deliver the "fatwas" around the world to the group's members and news organizations and the use of the internet and DVD's to propel the group's messages and training materials. These followers are not just hiding in caves in Afghanistan, they are on line.

With bin Laden's wealth,the author asserts that terrorism has been privatized; it has cloaked itself under a corporate hierarchy; its foot soldiers are globalized connected by satellite phones; it possesses technological weapons some of which were provided to the mujahideen by the US during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This book may not be the definitive treatise on the subject of global terrorism, but it is immensely readable, well documented and an honest attempt to explain the horror of 9-11-01. You will not go wrong with this selection.

This is a mildly exciting book if you accept a few facts in advance: 1) This is NOT a biography of Bin Laden so do not expect one; 2) This is written by a television journalist on his way up in his media career so you better like the author as a person because you are going to be spending a lot of time with him. This is a fluidly written but rather disjointed and anecdotal account of one journalist's pursuit across Southwest Asia of Osama Bin Laden for the purpose of interviewing him. Like many media types who get a book contract, the story line consists of a lot of gritty details about the food, scenery and personalities one meets while traveling through the back roads of Pakistan and so on. Bin Laden appears rarely in the book but is spoken of often in sometimes mysterious tones. Is this book entertaining? Yes. Is it well written? Well, it is easy to read but the organization (if you can call it that) leaves something to be desired. Is it informative? Generally yes but it breaks no new ground either about Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda. If you are looking for a book about Bin Laden I recommend "Osama Bin Laden: A Psychological and Political Portrait" by Anthony J. Dennis (also available on Amazon). Bodansky's book "The Man Who Declared War on America" is also worthwhile but I rate it after Dennis's book since Bodansky focuses more on the terrorist infrastructure of al-Qaeda and doesn't give you a lot of insight into Bin Laden.

Peter Bergen has literally gone out of his way to provide a proper focus into the reasoning behind the minds of Osama bin Laden, the expanding cadre of "Holy Warriors" drawn to his cause, and the "enemies of Allah", identified beyond the United States to within the Muslim world itself. Unbiased and intrepid, Bergen elucidates clearly the reality of the Islamic Front and the call to arms, the Jihad at hand, and how the United States and others failed to respect the legitimacy and verve of the threat before 9/11. This book provides the impeccable dose of cultural relativity necessary to disarm hearsay and contrivance precipitated in the wake of terror and tragedy. In the quest for truth , it is incumbent upon all to respect all angles of perspective no matter how opposed one may be. Bergen's pursuit of truth has proven not only efficacious, but also squelches the cacophony of misinformed jingoes extolling the virtues of hate and ignorance emanating ad nauseum from each side of the conflict. This book is the end result of years spent in the creases of the world under the constant threat of violent reproach in a mere 235 pages. If anything, one will gain a new respect of the journalists seeking out the truth, individuals not unlike Peter Bergen.

Peter Bergen isn't just another writer who after the 9/11 attacks decided to "dive deep" into the topic of Osama Bin Laden. Peter Bergen had actually started writing the book before the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Bin Laden has been a topic that Bergen has followed for years, dating back to the mid-1990s. He didn't write this book so that it didn't offend the United States and he didn't write this book expecting to do anything other then provide a deep analysis on Bin Laden, his followers and Islamic terrorism in general.

I think what really sets him apart from everyone else is he has met Bin Laden. He has spoken in great detail with Bin Laden. He's one of the few Westerners Bin Laden has spoken to (in great detail) on camera and Bergen's experience is extremely interesting.

I hope Bergen writes another book because "Holy War, Inc" was truly a pleasure to read, even under the current circumstances.

I wasn't sure what to think with this Westernized biography of Osama bin Laden, drawn mostly from the conclussion I reached when I finished reading "Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War On America". I thought for sure this was going to be another pro-American bashing of Middle Eastern guerrilla warfare techniques, with no emphasis on fact.

Thankfully I was given exactly what I wanted with this book. Facts. Lots of them. What this book is isn't so much a biography on Osama bin Laden as it is a biography of the network of "holy warriors" whom he employs, and plots with, al-Qauda. This book gave an excellent example of the global reach of bin laden's "terrorist" group, and it's frustration with American foreign policy.

I would highly recommned this to anyone who is sick of the blind patriotism which has sprung up in the wake of 9/11, and desire real facts, and truth.

This book had essentially been written before September 11 and then was transformed to get more information out by a team of editors over the short time of two weeks.

The author has provided us with critical information about the Islamic world and how bin Laden came to Director of Terrorism for a large group of disenfranchised and unhappy Middle Eastern men. Even with ALL the information that has filled the cable system, the print media, the web, and via word of mouth, this book touches all the bases.

The author presents the vital information - even the material which inflames most Americans - without a great deal of emotion. He reamins calm when other media pundits and authors are almost certainly reaping the rewards of expressing emotion to feed the sense of national outrage.

As someone with an ancient MBA (1979) and a EE/math/physics/CS degree (1972) the presentation of bin Laden's use of businesses was of particular interest. Bin Laden clearly thinks of himself as an economist, hence his expression in one of the videotapes released that the collapse of the WTC caused great damage to the US economy, but this line of thinking is flawed: he appartently has no grasp of how large the US economy is and he REALLY has no grasp of how little the West has had to do with the miserable conditions of Palestinian refugees, and the other millions of impoverished Middle Eastern people connected to Islam. He obviously never read "Cities and the Wealth of Nations" by Jane Jacobs. Largely what bin Laden has done with his businesses is take money he collects - rather than creates, as do most of the massively wealthy and powerful, including Enron-like corporations - and uses it for reasons of destruction.

He also uses the built in fragilities of the Islamic system - the four wives for every rich man allotment, the hunger of children in Pakistan and Afghanistan and other countries - to turn the boys into holy warriors by giving them a purpose in life, a means of avoiding starvation, funding schools that teach nothing about the world, and training the most disaffected to be terrorists.

The young men he takes in as ignorant, starving children, full of fear for the subsistence necessities, turns them into holy warriors by giving them shelter and a one dimensional view of life, uses the lack of sexuality under the Muslim system for poor young men... to drive this terrorist frenzy.

Bin Laden, with all his millions, was given a life free of want, and yet found his most fullfilling place in the war against the Soviet Union. What this book doesn't state bluntly, but perhaps should: without terrorism and bloodshed, bin Laden's life would be barren. The terror he inflicts and the damage he does are little more than excitement and emtertainment for his own personal satiation. He is said to live a simple live, but in comparison to the poor of the nations that he uses, he is still the "Great White (Robed) Hunter" manipulating the weak for hsi own personal pleasures, emotional, political, financial, religios.

This is the book to read if you want to understand how he operates and what his sorry excuses are for attacking the West in lieu of constructive actions. He's not much of an economist and he's nothing of an engineer. He's wealth and he's adept at using that wealth to manipulate others to cause destruction. Other than hiding behind a religion, I see no difference between bin Laden and those he allegedly fights against (using the bodies and lives of others as cheap fuel for the fires of terrorism, of course, while he does photo-ops.)

This is the book.

This book, finished in August of 2001, is an in-depth look at Osama bin Laden, and terrorist machine that he built. The author starts with a history of the bin Laden family, and then follows the development of Osama bin Laden, and the Islamist movements that he is now associated with. And then, as the story moves on, the recent wave of terrorist attacks targeted on the United States are examined with sweeping detail and clarity.

This book is something of a masterpiece. Having read numerous media reports on Osama bin Laden, I understood some, but knew that there was much I didn't understand about him and the movement that he is a part of. But, having read this book, I feel like I now understand so much more. I did find that this book was clear and concise, giving a wealth of understanding. I highly recommend it.