Customer Reviews

The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism

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I find it astonishing that this is the first good book to comeout on Osama bin Laden and Ramzi Yousef.

President Clinton hasidentified bin Laden as America's number one terrorist threat, and yet nobody in the so-called 'serious media' has really bothered to investigate the guy. Thankfully we now have this excellent book, which gets behind the headlines and explains bin Laden's motivation and anger. I found the details of his early years fascinating, especially since the US media have conspicuously failed to explain why he keeps bombing (or trying to bomb) American embassies and kill US servicemen and women around the world.

More than half the book is about Ramzi Yousef, who the author describes as the first soldier bin Laden sent against the West. I found the details of Yousef's crimes absolutely astonishing - if there was a terrorist league table, then Yousef would surely be at number one.

Excellent book. I recommend it to anyone interested in international affairs. I hope the President will read it to understand why people like bin Laden are so angry with the USA (what can we expect if we support undemocratic regimes like the Saudi government).

This well written and informative book focuses in detail on the terrorist and military threats that the United States faces from people like Osama bin Laden. I thought the book was very good at discussing America's vulnerability to terrorism. What you do NOT get in this book is any kind of biography of Osama bin Laden himself or a sense of the goals and "mindset" of his oganization. This is essentially a technical terrorism book written for the layperson. For a book on the transnational Muslim fundamentalist movement itself which is causing so much heartbreak and devastation right now, I HEARTILY recommend Anthony J. Dennis's book "The Rise of the Islamic Empire and the Threat to the West" (also available through amazon.com) which eerily predicted and warned against the very events we are witnessing now. Both books are excellent and, together, make for complete reading of the issues in the headlines today.

...I have read this book before but the second reading is far more meaningful,educational, and insightful. It helps to explain the mentality of the "New Jackals, poisoned by political hatred and religious fervor... who have no qualms about mass killing." It clearly describes the initial bombing of the World Trade Center and the disappointment of Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind and predecessor to Osami bin Laden, who had originally expected at least one of the towers to fall into the other and kill 250,000 people. After describing the investigation and manhunt to capture Yousef, author Simon Reeve traces the origins of this extreme and very real terrorism. He gives an enlightening background study of bin Laden that helps the reader understand the intelligence, resources, and deadly intent of this Afghan Arab who has been responsible for the terrorist war against the West that has now reached massive proportions. If it doesn't do anything else, this haunting and eerie warning should drive home to all who read it the serious reality that lies before us. It should certainly strenghthen our resolve to stand together and fight for the freedom we often take for granted.

This book is a detailed account of the activities of the two notorious terrorists Ramzi Yousef and Osama bin Laden. Yousef was the man who planned the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, while Osama bin Laden is allegedly the brains behind the massive 1998 attacks on American embassies in East Africa. Both men claim to be good Muslims fighting a holy war, but the author quite rightly reminds us that as Islam is a religion of peace and veneration - and forbids the killing of civilians in war - the two terrorists are not true Muslims.

The book details the political events which caused bin Laden and Yousef to launch themselves against the West. The author traces the cause back to the 1980s war in Afghanistan, which the Soviet Union (as it was then) invaded and tried to conquer. The Reagan administration gave the anti-Soviet mujaheddin fighters huge amounts of logistical support, weapons, training and intelligence backing. Between 86 and 89 Reagan and his friends in the Saudi Arabian government ploughed $1,500 million into the coffers of the mujaheddin. The US also supplied the Afghan fighters with highly-sophisticated 'Stinger' missiles, which the mujaheddin used with devastating effect to down dozens of Soviet fighters and helicopters. The author points out that at the end of the war - after the Soviets were forced into a humiliating retreat - the US administration tried to persuade the Afghans to make alliances with some of the pro-Soviet puppet politicians they had previously been fighting (!). Not surprisingly, they weren't happy about this, and predictable chaos ensued. In the mid 1990s a new force emerged in Afghanistan - the ferocious Taliban militia - and the US government seems to have had some small responsibility for this.

Ironically, the Taliban are now the men guarding and protecting Osama bin Laden from the FBI and CIA.

However the book does not lump all the blame for the current situation on the West. It gives a detailed account of how Ramzi Yousef was transformed from a peaceful young student into a terrorist by militant Muslims. The book starts with a frightening account of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and reminds readers that the six people who were killed in the attack were people with families and lives that Yousef cruelly took away. It IS upsetting reading how the workers in the World Trade Center went about their jobs while Yousef planted a huge bomb (until 93 the largest by weight or design detonated in such an attack in the US) right in the very heart of this massive building, but it reminds us they aren't just statistics, and there was a terrible human cost.

Fortunately Yousef did not succeed with his plot to topple one of the twin towers of the building, and the Trade Center still dominates our skyline in southern Manhattan.

After describing Yousef's appalling crimes, which included a series of bombings and attempted assassinations, the author turns to Osama bin Laden, who he says was the man who sent Yousef on some of his first missions. The book gives a detailed account of bin Laden's background and how family pressures drove him into the arms of militants at his university (some of bin Laden's half-brothers used to call him the 'son of a slave'! ). Remembering that bin Laden is now supposed to be our number one public enemy I would have thought the chapters on him would be required reading for news journalists and officials inside the Beltway.

The book then details bin Laden's rise to power out of the ashes of war in Afghanistan and how he has become the 'principal sponsor of terrorism in the world today', according to the State Department and President Clinton.

All in all it's well-researched, well-written and a fascinating read.

Although this book was written well before the WTC and Pentagon attacks, it is an excellent background for the terrible situation that we find ourselves in now. Reeve describes the first WTC attacks and the investigation of them in great detail, then goes on to describe the difficulties that will be faced in fighting terrorism in the future, and alludes to the types of attacks that America might face. I recommend this book very highly in conjunction with two other books that I have read in the last few weeks. New Jackals puts a more human face on the terrorism than the other two books do. It describes where the terrorists lived, how they worked, how they found each other, and how the FBI found them. It describes other attacks that they were planning, some very scary, and others ridiculous-- they even planned to kidnap former president Nixon. It also describes actions that the US has already taken or attempted to take against Osama bin Laden, and makes it clear that our current battle will not be easy. The other two books that I'd recommend are The Taliban, by Peter Marsden, and Taliban, Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, by Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist. These other two books will provide a political, economic, religious, and historical background to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.

This book chronicles the lives of Ramzi Yousef and Osama Bin Laden. Yousef, an Islamic educated in Great Britain and the man behind the 1993 bombing of the world trade center (WTC), is reported to have said while detained and while flying over the WTC that the next time it won't be there". ...In this aptly named, "the New Jackals", Simon Reeve recounts the story of these two men.

It is of interest to note that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. In this story we have elements of both sides of this argument. American's and people everywhere who aspire to democracy should read this compelling account of the development of the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan, and of its antecedents. After being shipped out of Saudi Arabia and removed from the Sudan amid pressure from the Saudis, Bin Laden ended up in the safe harbor provided by the Taliban. There he has been provided a base from which to organize, plan, communicate and receive funds....P>The book recounts the U.S. support of the Arab-Afghan Mujaheddin as they put up an effective resistance against the Soviet's pursuant to the invasion of 1979. From CIA training and with CIA provided weaponry the story takes a dark twist. Simon Reeve gives us an up close and personal look at Yousef's exploits and his attempts to destroy various world leaders. Reeve further explains how these men are merely the first of a new breed of men willing to die for their ideals. That these types have at their disposal the weapons of mass destruction should give civil people everyone more than a moment of pause.

This book will now experience greater readership in lieu of this hideous bombing of the WTC and the Pentagon and the revulsion everyone in America feels in its aftermath. The world has changed and this is merely a wake up call for what's to come. This book gives you a prelude. We need to do more than pray we must act and continue to be proactive. Im looking forward to Reeve's next book which I'm certain will be forthcoming. In the meantime the New Jackals is a good primer on the subject.

This book is highly recommended especially given the events of Tuesday, September 11,2001. I have read this book before but the second reading is far more meaningful,educational, and insightful. It helps to explain the mentality of the "New Jackals, poisoned by political hatred and religious fervor... who have no qualms about mass killing." It clearly describes the initial bombing of the World Trade Center and the disappointment of Ramzi Yousef, Osami bin Laden's first soldier, who had originally expected at least one of the towers to fall into the other and kill 250,000 people. After describing the investigation and manhunt to capture Yousef, author Simon Reeve traces the origins of this extreme and very real terrorism. He gives an enlightening background study of bin Laden that helps the reader understand the intelligence, resources, and deadly intent of this Afghan Arab who has been responsible for the terrorist war against the West that has now reached massive proportions. If it doesn't do anything else, this haunting and eerie warning should drive home to all who read it the serious reality that lies before us. It should certainly strenghthen our resolve to stand together and fight for the freedom we often take for granted.

The New Jackals is packed with information on Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network -- it's still more up-to-date than any of the news coverage I have seen since September 11. I'm just amazed the author has managed to collect all this information - I only hope the administration in Washington has read the book and talked to the author - he clearly has managed to talk to the top people in Pakistani intelligence and militants inside bin Laden's al Qaeda network. I can't recommend this highly enough - we all need to be aware of the growing danger posed by terrorists.

As an undergraduate international relations major who is now a psychologist, the events of September 11th renewed my interest in world events. I have read between 30-50 textbooks during this period in an attempt to thoroughly understand the Middle East. In this process, many of my friends (most of whom aren't obsessive enough to read 30 books!) have asked me recommend a single book that will give them a better understanding of our current situation. Although The New Jackals doesn't completely fit this requirement, it clearly is one of the very best books for understanding extremist Muslim terrorism from the 1990s through today. In my opinion, it is vastly more readable and otherwise superior to Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America by Yossef Bodansky.

The New Jackals has 13 chapters, 8 of which are primarily focused on the mastermind of the first WTC bombing, Ramzi Yousef, and the worldwide investigation to bring him and his collaborators to justice. Within these 8 chapters, the reader gains significant insight into the FBI and international law enforcement processes of fighting terrorists, as well as the interconnections between terrorist organizations. The remaining 5 chapters of the book focus more broadly on Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, and describe the numerous terrorist acts perpetrated by these organizations. This also includes a description of Al Qaeda's finances, origin, and methods. Additionally, there is an insightful description of the variety of types of militant Islamic groups and the impact that religion has on their actions.

Simon Reeve is a British journalist and writer. He appears to have excellent sources for this book, including multiple interviews with the investigators in charge of the Yousef investigation and an interview with Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan). The issue of bias or one-sided perspective is a crucial one in selecting books on the Middle East, and in this arena I was also satisfied with Mr. Reeve. He is clearly very impressed by the law enforcement officials he interviewed and there is a strongly "pro-FBI" tone in his descriptions of the investigation of the WTC (I'm not criticizing this, simply stating my perception). However, in the most other ways the book seems very objective, avoiding either a pro-Western or pro-Arab stance, and taking a very balanced view of the role of a very small percentage of extremists within the millions of peaceful Muslims. The facts described in this book match consistently with facts I've read in a variety of other books.

In addition to being a well researched and credible book, The New Jackals reads much like a Robert Ludlum spy story. I found myself so engrossed in this book, I read late into the night to finish it.

Two other books nicely complement the New Jackals: Terror in the Mind of God (Mark Juergensmeyer) and A History of the Modern Middle East (Cleveland). Terror in the Mind of God is an excellent book that takes a more psychological tack in describing how extremists from a variety of religions use their beliefs to justify violence. It includes an interview with Ramzi Yousef and was immensely helpful in assisting me to answer the question "how could anyone do these things in the name of religion?". A History of the Modern Middle East provides a historical framework to assist in understanding why the US is so universally despised by even moderate Arabs and Muslims.

A balanced and fascinating account of two of the most dangerous men in the world.

Well constructed narrative displaying clear evidence of detailed research.

In my humble view one of the very best books on terrorism to be published in the last few years. Highly recommended.