Customer Reviews

The Secret History of al Qaeda

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Abdel Bari Atwan, who is the editor-in-chief of the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, is uniquely qualified to write THE SECRET HISTORY OF al QAEDA, as he is the only Western-based journalist to have spent time with Osama Bin Laden. The extended interview took place in Tora Bora, Afghanistan in 1996, and his personal insights into Bin Laden, those around him, and the living conditions at Tora Bora make for fascinating reading. Furthermore, as a result of this meeting, Atwan and his newspaper have been privy to numerous al Qaeda communiques and insider information over the years - including the famous tidbit from Bin Laden associates that Bin Laden was alive and recovering from injuries caused by U.S. bombing near Tora Bora in late 2001. His discussion of how Al Qaeda, as an organization and it's military and economic strategy/ tactics has evolved since 9/11 makes for some eye-opening and chilling reading. Long before the controversial National Intelligence Estimate, Atwan tells us that Iraq has become a breeding ground for the most ruthless and militant Al Qaeda fighters to date. This book is AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ, and should be REQUIRED READING for all US Government and military leaders. It ranks right up there with Peter Bergen's THE OSAMA BIN LADEN I KNOW and HOLY WAR, INC.

This is the best thing written on why they exist,why they are doing what they are doing,how they are doing it and why they will win if we do noy change what we are doing.
As a former US Marine I found it very helpful to know and understand the enemy.Best thing I have have read on the subject and was remomended to me by the NBC Nwes producwer on the War on Terror.

This book starts well with an interesting interview with bin Laden. Unfortunately, the author defends too much al Qaeda acts without giving any solutions to Islamic terrorism. The author suggests that US foreign policies, especially Afghan War and Iraq War, are to blame for the rise of Islamic terrorism. However, al Qaeda started terrorist attacks BEFORE these wars not after these wars. Sometimes the author acts as a propaganda piece of terrorists. For example, orthodox Islamic scholars condemn suicide bombers. The book seems to suggest that its use is understandable. At one place (page 94) the book indicates that 9/11 attack had a very high, efficient KILL RATE. Anyone with conscience will have problems with that since almost all died were innocent civilians, some were even Muslims.

The analysis of the book is false. It was written at the height of al Qaeda. Several years have passed, al Qaeda is on decline in contradiction to the author's prediction. This book offers little value.

Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan provides a relatively short, yet multi-faceted and in-depth look at al Qaeda that should be read by anyone curious about the organization. The book is divided into seven chapters, each exploring a different aspect of the subject. As such, The Secret History of al Qaeda is well organized and easy to navigate through. Atwan also possesses a clear and accessible writing style, which is always a plus.

Atwan is one of the few Western-based journalists with access to Bin Laden and the introduction to the book is an amazing story of Atwan's visit with Bin Laden back in 1996. This is followed by two chapters that look at Bin Laden specifically, both from biographical and religious points of view. Since Atwan has spent time with Bin Laden face to face, these chapters demand a high level of attention, and are written with a sense of completeness that other analysis of Bin Laden lacks.

The third chapter looks specifically at the subject of suicide bombers and the concept of martyrdom. Here, Atwan broadens his scope a bit and looks beyond just al Qaeda to attacks being carried out against Israel as well. Looking at the subject in this way provides added context and gives the reader a better understanding of al Qaeda's use of the tactic. Chapter four looks at what Atwan calls "cyber jihad." Again, he looks beyond just al Qaeda in this chapter as he explores how militant Islamist groups have (very) successfully used the internet as a means to organize attacks and recruit new members. This chapter is probably the most revealing part of the entire book.

Chapters 5 and 6 examine al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, respectively. The evolution of the group in each of these countries is distinct and Atwan demonstrates how the group is capable of changing its tactics and strategy to effectively operate in different environments. Atwan crucially draws attention to the fact that Saudi Arabia faces a potentially disastrous situation if large numbers of its citizens currently fighting in Iraq come home an turn their attention towards the Saudi regime. The final chapter discusses the future of al Qaeda and Atwan drives home the point that the organization has evolved into an invisible, borderless entity capable of inflicting enormous amounts of damage to its enemies due to its decentralized nature and use of technology.

Atwan's book is quite good and covers a lot of the different crucial aspects needed for understanding al Qaeda today. The book is accessible enough to appeal to the general reader, but full of enough important analysis that the policy maker or academic will also get a lot from the book. Highly recommended.

This is a difficult review to write because as a reader that despises terrorist activities, I had to get past the personal respect that the author displays for Osama bin Laden and other leaders within the Al Qaeda organization. Additionally, at times this book gives the impression of being a propaganda tool to help recruit for the Al Qaeda cause.

That said however, I thought the history of Al Qaeda was well written, highly informative, and provided an insight that only someone like this author, who has personally met Osama bin Laden, could provide.

The author focuses a great deal of attention on the policies of the U.S., Saudi Arabia and other nations that Al Qaeda has targeted for various reasons, explaining how these various policies and government actions have assisted Al Qaeda in recruiting and gaining support for their terrorist activities. Much of this analysis and the effects of poor decisions and policies are on the mark in my opinion.

However, the author does not conduct a similar analysis of Al Qaeda and their strategies. Given what has occurred in Iraq since the author wrote this book however, the glaring omission of an analysis of Al Qaeda's strategies and methods is extremely noticeable. Iraqis seem to have largely turned their back on Al Qaeda due to their indiscriminate killing that includes innocent Iraqi civilians. Al Qaeda's change of tactics in an attempt to create a civil war "whereas targeting Shi'is had previously been unacceptable, this is now part of its agenda in Iraq" seems to have backfired. The author also states that "Muslims might not like what al Qaeda has to offer in the long term - how many of them really want to live under a Taliban-style regime? - but that is not the issue at present". In Iraq, as in many other parts of the world where Al Qaeda has been operating, it seems to be more of an issue than the author considers.

Bottom line is that I recommend that you read this book if you are interested in Al Qaeda and the global terrorist threat. However, to gain some alternate views on the future of global terrorism I recommend that you also read Marc Sageman's "Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century."

the book is excellent. I recommend it to anyone interested in terrorism and Al Qaeda. It is chock full of relevant and pertinent information and well written.

Abdel Atwan's history of Al Qaeda and extreme Islamic movements is very illuminating. As opposed to many western writers on the subject, Mr. Atwan has a cultural relationship with many of the subjects he writes about. All Americans should read this book to understand the amorphous face of terrorism.

Very well written book with lot's of support for it's statements. The author definitely has done his research even though you feel a hint of bias in the book. Very interesting for anyone looking to understand why "they hate us".

The Secret History of Al Qaeda indeed gives dramatic insight into the mind of Islamofascist Terrorists. It also eerily points out the view of so called "Moderate" muslims, and their view on Jihad, and their justification, tolerance, and even advocation of Suicide Bomber attacks. We are enmeshed in a struggle where even the values of moderates should be viewed through the eyes of western civilization as extremely violent and radical. We need to understand our enemy and their supporters. They are overseas, and also within our midst.

Page 98 " "In Palestine and Iraq they are fighters in a very difficult situation with huge forces gathered against them and oppressing them. These people must be looked upon with respect for the great sacrifice they are making.' This point of view is not uncommon even among moderate muslims. In many moderate muslim countries a significant element within the population supports and admires martyrdom operations...because they are the only weapons available in the face of immense military superiority."

This book brought me no new insight in terms of Al Qaeda and it's history and operations. Much of this was available in other previous publications.